bald eagle

Twofer Tuesday: Bald Eagles edition

/ Tracy Abell / 12 Comments

Today I received the gift of two Bald Eagles sitting on a moored timber off Ediz Hook. Upon sighting them, I hurried to the car for my camera and started taking photos from there, propping the lens on the roof. When I realized they were maybe going to stick around a bit longer, I moved closer and took more photos. And when it became clear they were just hanging out, I got closer yet and propped my big boom-a-roo lens on a log and sat as I snapped pic after pic. That’s where I was for this shot (click on images to enlarge). You can see their yellow eyes and the hooked tips of their impressive beaks.

I wanted to be ready to capture them in flight so switched the camera settings for action shots. Of course, they remained in place although the one eagle teased me by spreading their wings.

The eagle on the left did eventually fly off. Alas, those flight photos don’t do that glorious bird justice so I won’t sully this post with those.

Here’s the final eagle photo of the day, a majestic pose by the bird that stayed behind.

I’m so grateful not only for the gift of the eagles’ presence but also the last-second decision to grab my big lens before heading out. Oh, happy day!

Twofer Tuesday: Eagle eye edition

/ Tracy Abell / 13 Comments

My friend spotted a large bird in a tree off in the distance as we walked around the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge last month. Was it a hawk? Too big. What was it?

We slowly and quietly moved closer to the tree. This not-great quality photo was taken from quite a ways away.

August 20, 2021

My friend thought maybe a Golden Eagle, which seemed like a very good guess. We very carefully moved a bit farther on the trail until we were on the other side of the tree.

Hello there, regal raptor with the sharp beak and talons! Thank you for allowing us to gawk.

When I returned home and got the photos up on my computer screen, Zippy suggested it wasn’t a Golden Eagle, but a juvenile Bald Eagle. After a little more research, we decided he was correct.

I recently wrote a work-for-hire book about birds around the world and was limited to 100 birds. I didn’t include the Bald Eagle in the Birds of Prey section because I figured kids were already pretty familiar with them. Apparently, the editor felt differently because when my author copies arrived, there was a Bald Eagle on the cover. I checked inside and discovered the Black-thighed Falconet, which weighs 1.23 ounces and is one of the smallest birds of prey in the world, had been replaced by the mighty Bald Eagle. I admit to being disappointed by that switch.

However, I was not at all disappointed by this Bald Eagle sighting. Also? My friend could not have spotted a sparrow-sized falconet from that distance. Amateur birders such as ourselves definitely benefit when the sightings weigh in at close to 14 pounds of pure fierceness.