Bald eagle extends the landing gear, prepares for touch down
A bald eagle extends its legs and opens its talons as it prepares to land. (Tony’s Takes)

A very cool action shot of this beautiful male bald eagle taken back in January. As I mentioned, I have been sorting through pics for the upcoming calendars and books and this previously unshared image caught my attention.

I had spent the morning photographing the mated pair of eagles at this nest southwest of Denver. They were busy working on nestorations for the coming season, constantly bringing sticks back to add to their home. As it was getting to be late morning, the sun was not in a good spot anymore for photographing the nest so I started to walk back to my truck. As I did, I saw the male launch from the nest and head right toward me.

Quickly, I threw my camera up and started tracking it. Much to my surprise, it came in and landed not 20 yards away on a downed tree! This image shows it just before touching down. I wish the one side of the eagle wasn’t obscured by the branches but it still makes for a very cool capture giving a great look at that 6 foot wingspan and those deadly talons. In the end, I actually got a great series of him after this as he posed for a while then used his beak and talons to break off a stick. Crazy fun to see!

Have a fantastic #FreedomFriday and weekend!

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