Harkening back to April and the last time I was able to photograph one of these majestic raptors.

This golden eagle had become a regular at this spot in the weeks prior and gave me some cool captures every time I saw it. On this day, it departed briefly but, much to my delight, returned and landed on a nearby pole. Here it is seen on its approach with its eyes focused on its landing spot.

This spot is near Denver International Airport and I believe this was one of two goldens trapped soon after this and relocated to the Colorado high country. They had become a bit problematic, routinely intruding on airport grounds and for their safety and those of the planes, it was decided to move them rather than risk a collision.

Not the usual type of eagle I share on Freedom Friday but certainly worthy of it.

Taken at the end of March after what had been a pretty dismal photo excursion. The morning simply had not yielded much of note so when my friend and I came across this golden eagle, we were keen on making the most of the opportunity. The eagle, however, was going to make us wait. And wait. And wait.

It didn’t seem too inclined to take flight but thankfully it was a relatively mild morning so I turned my truck around, put the tailgate down to provide us a seat, and we decided no matter how long it took, we were going to wait and do our best to ‘get the shot.’ An hour later, the moment finally came and it was kind enough to give us hints it was ready to go so we were ready.

Of the 20 or so shots I captured of it launching and departing, I think this is my favorite. I love the aggressive posture, the hint of those deadly talons and, of course, that beautiful, golden mane. Patience may be a virtue and not one I am known for (ask my wife!) but this time it paid off.

I am really enjoying my recent encounters with these massive raptors. As in years past, a few have been stopping over on their migration, allowing some nice photo opportunities. Best of all, one of them is very patient allowing for some nice captures like this one. It posed quite nicely for me one morning this past weekend. This capture, with it looking toward the sun really showcases how beautiful they are.

I happened across this beautiful raptor this past Saturday out on the plains of Colorado. Due to their relative rarity, any chance to see and photograph them is special, even if the skies weren’t particularly compelling. After giving me some nice poses it decided it was done playing model and took off, giving me a nice sequence of images. This is my favorite of the bunch as I love how it showcases that massive seven foot wingspan and the golden plumage that gives the eagle its name.

Not my best captures of these monstrous raptors but a fun sequence – plus seeing one is always special.

Christmas Eve found me in the foothills of the Colorado Front Range and it was there I spotted two of them in the same tree. That doesn’t happen often. I waited quite a while, hoping for some action, and one did finally take flight, performing a quick circle before returning to the same tree.

The distance was a bit much so the pics aren’t as great as I would have hoped but I will take what I can get when it comes to golden eagles. 😉 The last couple of images do a nice job of showing off the golden’s beautiful plumage and that crazy seven foot wingspan.

Not really particularly extraordinary pics of this fantastic raptor but I always love getting a chance to see them. I came across this handsome fellow Sunday as it sat in a tree, staking out a prairie dog colony below.

Despite the opportunity for a meal, it wasn’t too interested in eating, instead just sitting for an hour, enjoying the chilly morning. It did eventually fly to a more distant tree but that was about it for the action.

It is little wonder that golden eagles are the most common official national animal in the world with Albania, Germany, Austria, Mexico, and Kazakhstan all choosing the golden eagle to represent them. They are truly impressive.

My affinity for bald eagles is well known, but golden eagles, well, I have to admit they get my heart beating a bit faster. They are quite a bit rarer and their size is nothing short of incredible, being even bigger than baldies.

I spotted three goldens yesterday, one of which gave me some pretty cool pics including an amazing flyby. I ended up with 20+ pics in the series and this is my favorite.

Golden eagles have, sadly, not seen the type of recovery that bald eagles have. This is largely owed to a scarcity of the types of terrain they prefer for nesting and they are very sensitive to human encroachment. Additionally, studies have shown that lead poisoning from ammunition left in carcasses that they may feed on is an issue and wind farms in areas they frequently nest in and migrate through have claimed far too many.

More needs to be done on the conservation front to help these majestic raptors recover.

Scrolling through some older pictures I came across this pic from this past February so I’ll throw it out there for #TBT.

I had forgotten about the encounter, perhaps because I came away quite disappointed in the image series and blocked it out of my memory. Haha.

Mother Nature had blessed me that morning with an absolutely prime opportunity as this golden eagle sat on a dirt hill right next to the road. Given the rarity of these huge birds, I was excited. It was initially facing the other direction but, much to my surprise, it actually turned and faced me. I couldn’t believe my luck! I was in the perfect position to capture what was sure to be an epic launch.

In my excitement, however, I failed to verify my camera’s settings and had the shutter speed way too slow to capture a fast-moving raptor. When it took off, I ended up with 25 perfectly framed images of a beautiful golden eagle – 24 of which were blurry. This is the only one that came out worth sharing and, even then, I hesitate as it isn’t as sharp as I would like. It does however make for a fun (and frustrating) story and shows that all of us can screw up a great opportunity.

As North America’s largest raptor, you wouldn’t think many creatures would dare push their luck with a golden eagle. On this morning in April though, a Swainson’s Hawk had decided it didn’t appreciate the eagle’s presence in the hawk’s potential nesting area.

The Swainson made multiple dives at the eagle, trying to get it to leave. Eventually the golden decided its perch wasn’t worth the hassle, taking flight and flying right by. I was shooting toward the sun so the light was tough but it was a thrill to have one so close.