![](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/bald-eagle-0687-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"bald-eagle-0687-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\n1\/2000, f\/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM @ 148mm, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n Yesterday morning it\u00a0was perched on the bat box right next to the road at the “owl bridge” at Farmington Bay WMA. You have no choice but to pass within about 20′ of\u00a0the bat box\u00a0as you travel the road but this bird took the occasional vehicle in stride and stood its ground on the box as\u00a0a few of them\u00a0slowly passed.<\/p>\n I’m a fan of both bats and bat boxes but I’ve been unhappy about the placement of this box for years. The\u00a0pole this box is on used to be a great perch to photograph raptors on (Bald Eagles and American Kestrels had a particular\u00a0fondness for it) but a few years ago “they” hung this bat box at the top of the pole. When it was first placed there it was painted red and because of its bright color and large size the box ruined the “aesthetics” of the pole as a perch for bird photography.<\/p>\n All they had to do was hang the box about a foot lower on the pole and there wouldn’t have been a problem for photographers and it would have served the bats just as well.<\/p>\n Oh well, at least most of the paint has now weathered off so the color isn’t so garish…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/640, f\/7.1, ISO 800, Canon 7D, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/p>\n This is what the top of the pole looked like before the bat box was attached (image taken 12\/26\/09). Back then you could actually see\u00a0an entire bird on top of the pole without the box blocking out so many body parts.<\/p>\n C’mon, Ron – get over it!<\/p>\n Ok, back to yesterday’s eagle.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/2000, f\/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM @ 400mm, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n I sat on this bird for 29 minutes hoping to get some flight shots as it took off but it was comfortable and eventually I had to leave to attend the memorial service for a dear friend and teaching colleague who had recently passed away (RIP Gerri Sorben)\u00a0so…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/2000, f\/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM @ 255mm, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n as I slowly\u00a0crept past the eagle in my pickup I kept my lens trained on it just in case. At least at this angle I was able to see more of the bird.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n