Bald Eagle Serendipity

 

This is another blog post that will be more about the experience of the photographer than about the quality of the images.

My good friend Mia and I spent two days this week looking for eagles – both Bald Eagles and Golden Eagles.  We found several of each species but it was a frustrating experience – driving large distances (over 500 miles) and then having bad light, bad luck, bad timing and lots of fog.   Then, an unexpected surprise!

 

Bald Eagle waiting for us to get home

Immediately after getting home I noticed several neighbors down the street looking up in the direction of the large elm tree in my side yard.   I ignored them at first but they persisted in staring so I followed their gaze and couldn’t believe what I saw toward the top of the tree – an adult Bald Eagle!  I live in suburban Salt Lake City and have never seen an eagle in my neighborhood in almost 25 years.   Of course, both Mia and I got out our photo gear and spent the next hour or so photographing the bird.  It was challenging to get good images because of the steep angle and the fact that the eagle was buried in the tree with branches in front and all around.  There were a few angles where we could get an almost unobstructed look at the bird but even then the background is very busy and there are shadows on the eagle. 

 

 

Wing stretch

The eagle was very relaxed in our presence, even doing a series of interesting stretches with Mia and I and others quite close.  This bird has been banded on its right foot. 

 

 

 Continuing the wing stretch

It stayed in the tree for a couple of hours, then left and returned again to the same perch.  Just before dark it flew off. 

 

 

 The eagle in the elm

Finally, just before sunset, I realized that I should get a few shots from a distance that showed the setting and perspective better.  I’m hoping it will return many times in the near future.  If not, it was still a thrill to have spent several hours with this beautiful eagle.  What fun!

Ron