Yup, that’s what I said.
I took this shot nine years ago and never opened the image until last night (I’m probably going to catch hell from readers for that…). It had three surprises waiting for me when I finally saw it full screen.
1/2000, f/8, ISO 400, Canon 40D, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM + EF 1.4 Extender, not baited, set up or called in
The photo was taken at Farmington with one of my first digital cameras on February 19, 2009 as the eagle was coming in to land next to a shallow pond. In the small preview image of the original file there’s a hunter’s parking lot just below the bird (at the point where I’ve cropped the image at the bottom) and I thought it was so ugly and so close to the bird I figured the photo was garbage and never opened the thumbnail until last night to look at the entire image full screen.
I should have. Not only was there enough room between the eagle and the parking lot to crop the ugliness out and still have decent composition there were also two more surprises waiting for me.
The eagle was banded. The only other banded Bald Eagle I ever remember photographing was one in my elm tree in the side yard of my home some years ago. At first I actually wondered if they could be the same bird but the bands are on opposite legs. I’m not fond of bands in my photos but I have mixed feelings about bird banding for other reasons too (I’m actually considering doing a post on that subject – we’ll see). I tried to read the band numbers but cannot.
But the second surprise was one I enjoyed a lot more. The eagle was giving me the one-finger salute – “the bird” from a bird, so to speak. Combined with the stink-eye it was giving me because it thought I might be too close to its intended landing spot I’m highly amused.
Maybe it knew I wouldn’t appreciate the jewelry on its leg and took offense, I dunno…
Ron
Just catching up again on the weeks post. I needed a good laugh after a rough week of school. I think I am getting to old to work my job, it is so physically demanding I come home exhausted and go to bed!
I would like to know your thoughts on banding; as a research tool, I imagine that it’s valuable; length of life and migration patterns might be noticed?
I’ve had a few animals stick their tongue out while taking a photo of them, but never been flipped off. That’s a good one lol.
I think this was the first, and only, time for me too, Jean.
Right on, to think an avian predator is clued into humans to the point of doing something only humans would understand! Not bad, not bad at all!!
Great shot, and many politicians and people deserve what this eagle is saying! VBG!!
Thanks, Dick. Yes, especially politicians!
I am so very grateful (and a tad surprised) that you didn’t just delete this image.
And the combination of flight, the stink-eye and the finger are yet more reasons that I long to be a bird in my next life.
“I am so very grateful (and a tad surprised) that you didn’t just delete this image”
I agree on both counts, EC. I must have slipped up somehow… 🙂
Very revealing photo. This being the national bird suggests that he might be passing judgment on our current political climate.
I had a similar thought, Lyle (as I mentioned in my first comment on this post).
Or perhaps he was saying goodbye to the previous administration.
Oh what a good laugh I had first thing this morning. That is a keeper for sure. Sorry to think about the injury to the talon, but sure that is what happened. You might fund him again some day and you will know for sure this would be the same Eagle. Thanks for finding checking out your older photos, you never know what “gem” you might find. Love it.
Thanks, Trudy. It was a fun surprise to find it.
As the song goes, “Bird is the word.” 😋 Or maybe he has an itchy delete finger like someone I know (not that I’m naming any names…). 😇
I’m glad you’re going back over some of your older shots to give them a chance to see the light of day again. I’m guessing you have more than a few hidden gems in those 1100 shots.
That song went through my mind more than once while I was composing my text, Marty. I always thought it was a rather meaningless ditty but the words and tune can sure stick in your head.
Yes, I’m hoping for a few of those potential gems you mention.
Hi Ron. It’s not uncommon for a BOP to lose the use of one or more toes due to an injury. With smaller birds, it is often a cut tendon due to a squirrel bite, but could also be a beaver, or groundhog bite. No way to know for sure, but the toe looks damaged from what I can make out in the picture, and is probably useless.
I had a friend several years ago who had a Harris’ hawk that could close his large back toe, but didn’t have the ability to open it again due to a nutria bite. The bird would fly back to the falconer anytime it needed to open its toe. The falconer would “cock” his bird by opening up the back toe and send the bird on its way.
Could be, Mark. It makes sense.
Fascinating story about the Harris’s Hawk. Thanks for telling it.
Neat shot, Ron! Bald Eagles have attitude! At the CA Raptor Center, we are given special instructions in handling them because they will swing their heads around and bite you severely if they possibly can. Goldens don’t seem to do that. This one probably has an injured toe. When they close their feet, all the toes seem to close together.
That’s interesting about them biting, Sallie. I’ve read that generally raptors don’t bite defensively, using their talons for that purpose instead. Sounds like Bald Eagles might be an exception.
In the only other shot I kept of this bird I can’t tell if its toe might be injured or not.
I love when you find hidden treasurers in your older photos. This is a Spectacular photo. Bald eagles, northern harriers and several other birds of prey always look like they have “attitude” to me and this photo just reinforces that observation. I love this bird’s moxie. I am a supporter of the USF&W banding as long as the bands do not interfere with egg incubation and normal life behavior.
Thanks, Melanie. Banding is a complex issue with lots of facets, many of them positive but others not so much.
Lol. That does look like a bundle of angry feathers.
🙂
OMG, Ron – my very favorite Raptor with a lot of moxie, in an AWESOME Dudley capture!! Today’s blog just blows me away AND makes my day. Nine years??? That will teach you to fail to look at photos you cropped. LOVE, LOVE. LOVE the photo & your memories of it’s history – made me laugh out loud!!
“Nine years??? ”
Yup, you’d think I’d learn, wouldn’t you? Maybe I have this time. Thank you, Jo Ann.
GREAT laugh to start the day! 🙂 🙂 🙂 At least you didn’t delete the photo! Wonder if the talon was injured as I’ve never really seen one that straight? Beautiful bird at any rate…… 🙂
“At least you didn’t delete the photo!”
That’s exactly what I keep thinking, Judy!
I had those old eagle photos on another computer with a low quality screen so last night I transferred more than 1100 of them to my newer computer with a good screen and plan to have a better look at each one over the next few days.
Back in those days my culling and evaluation skills were about on the same level as my shooting skills – not the best.
Ron, I think this is the funniest thing I’ve seen all morning! I’m also a fan of the background as well as the bird! And I too have been looking at old shots wondering how I hadn’t noticed them earlier. Anyways, keep it up!
All that vegetation in the background is gone now, a victim of grazing cattle and necessary efforts to control phragmites. In some ways that’s too bad because back in those days Barn Owls used to hunt in front of those phrags in daytime during winter which made for very good photo ops.
I’m glad you enjoyed the photo, Xavier. I sure do.
Great photo, as usual. Maybe he’s giving the finger to the hunters in the hunters parking lot below.
Judy, He might have been giving it to a couple of other photogs who were closer to the pond than I was. Too close IMO.
The parking lot was actually empty but it was still ugly.
What a surprise! And what a ‘finger’ it is! 😀 Guess given the slow-time we’re in for birds right now it was meant to be. I think the chances of that happening again would be pretty slim. Looking at the feet, I get the impression that particular foot is smaller than the other…probably an illusion on my part. Neat photo it is.
“Guess given the slow-time we’re in for birds right now it was meant to be”
Yes, finally opening that photo was good timing for me, given the weather and how slow birds are around here. Thanks, Kathy.
What a great shot. The eyes as well as the finger are telling you to get out of his/her territory. Too funny. Priceless.
Everett Sanborn
Prescott AZ
Thanks, Everett. I think so too.
That eagle probably felt the same way about me as I do about certain politicians…