Going back to my encounter with this handsome fellow and his mate last month.
The pair gave me some pretty danged cool captures, including this one of the male soon after he took flight for a quick hunting trip. You get a good look at those killer talons and his impressive six-plus foot wingspan.
One thing that amazes me about golden eagles is their hunting ability. Certainly, their normal diet consists of small mammals like rabbits and prairie dogs. However, they have been known to take on much larger prey like deer, goats and pronghorn.
In Mongolia, golden eagles have been trained and used to hunt for centuries. Like many ancient skills, the tradition is fading but there are still those that practice it and what they do is truly amazing. If you have time, you might want to check out this documentary about it.