the eagle does not have the osprey’s specialized roughened talons for holding fish
yet, even if the eagle has caught the fish with just one foot
it makes no effort to get the second foot on the fish or to a better position
this may account for the higher number of drops I see made, especially by the young eagles rather than by juvenile ospreys
only a mature bald eagle has the arrogance and grace
to be this close to the shore and pluck from the river a large fish
and then bow away with ease
The immature eagles had spent the afternoon playing king-of-the-hill, so to speak, with this dead tree as the prize roost.
I finally caught two of them, against a very wintery sky, as they tried to land at the same time.
The bird to the left is a 3 year old and the eaglet to the right is a 2 year old.
Given the size disparity, I would guess the bird to the left is male and the one to the right a female; my guess!
to order a print of this photo, please go to http://www.dreamingsongsphotos.com/
adult bald eagle making the flight through the towering sycamore trees look easy
to order a print of this photo, please go to http://www.dreamingsongsphotos.com/
that’s a mighty small branch the bald eagle is eyeing for his landing
he missed his first choice and ended up a few feet lower on a somewhat larger branch
to order a print of this photo, please go to http://www.dreamingsongsphotos.com/
The 3 year old eagle tried 3 times to pick up the same fish from the river. I was attempting to photograph him and not fall in…water this time of the year is cold… So I captured what I could from my perch on the edge of the riprap. Hope you enjoy the juvenile eagle’s efforts while getting a small taste of some of the challenges of wildlife photography!
doc ellen's journey 