Well, this was a fantastic, unexpected encounter.
I arrived at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge to find that the wildlife drive was closed. There was no prior announcement, so I was kind of annoyed. As I sat trying to decide where I would go next, I see a monstrous bird flying right toward me.
Knowing it was some sort of eagle, I quickly slam my car in park, grab my camera, throw the door open and jump out. Much to my surprise, it was a golden eagle and it landed right on the fence! I hurriedly grabbed some shots, knowing it likely wouldn’t linger.
It then hopped onto the ground on the other side of the fence, seeming to try for some unseen prey. Finding none, it then flew back up onto my side of the fence, again landing on the ground in search of prey. It was empty taloned so it then took off and disappeared in the distance.
My flight shots were quite poor as I wasn’t expecting action and my shutter speed was slow. However, I did get some nice poses. I have certainly gotten better pics in the past of these majestic raptors but it was such a fun encounter and one I will remember.
