immature eagle

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By Jordan Lake Dam: Bald Eagle Chase, 2 photos 02/03/2019
There are 3 bald eagles in the chase.
The lowest bald eagle is a 3-year-old and it caught the fish that is dangling from one talon.
The adult bald eagle was right behind the 3-year-old when the youngster caught the fish and immediately the chase was on.
The best way for the catcher to hold onto his fish was to make it deep into the woods and land on a branch, fish again the branch.
The 3-year old had almost made it to safety when a 2-year-old eagle joined the chase and cut in below the adult.
The chase was fast and furious with a lot of screams. Ultimately, the 3-year-old lost the game and dropped the fish.
I have enclosed both a full-color and a black and white image.
The scene is so detailed that it may be easier to see the 3 eagles in one or the other photographs.
 
 
black and white of same photo

By Jordan Lake Dam, Bald Eagle Flight 01-16-2019
The best way to maintain flight is for a wing to remain level. 
But level flight doesn’t offer up a fish from the river.
There are a multitude of calculations and feather changes during a fishing run.
This 4-year-old bald eagle is using some of his feathers on the outer edges of his wing tips as ailerons to control his roll.
Those “ruffled” feathers along the middle of his wings act as spoilers to give him precision for his hunt.
What a marvelous creation.

By Jordan Lake Dam: Bald Eagle Disagreement 01-03-2019
Bald Eagles are ALWAYS out to prove just who is the best, strongest, top-of-the-heap.
Or, in this case, winner of the favored branch for a perch.
The 4-1/2-year-old eagle with its back to you has decided he wants the perch the other eagle has already landed on.  Hah!
 
 
The velocity of the impact and gravity takes effect and the other 4-year-old eagle is knocked off the perch.
 
 
Then the chase is on as the one who started the affair decides he really didn’t want the perch; he just wanted to prove he was the stronger bird.