Sometimes luck and chance play the biggest part in a very cool wildlife encounter and that was the case with this one.
I was in Longmont, Colorado and on a whim went to an area west of the city. I was about to turn around when I spot a large, dark bird in a tree next to the road, initially dismissing it as ‘just a hawk.’ As I drove by, I glanced at it and upon seeing its golden mane and its large size, I knew it was certainly not a hawk.
Quickly making a U-turn I approached slowly and much to my delight, the eagle totally ignored me and continued to sit perched in the tree. Lighting was tough as it was backlit and there were strong shadows from the tree’s leaves and branches. When it did finally take off it went down the opposite side of the tree and landed way out in a field so there weren’t any opportunities for flight shots.
Nevertheless, it isn’t often you get a chance to get pictures of one of these magnificent raptors so I was happy as heck.
