Juvenile Bald Eagle 7013-2
Eagles are a favorite photo subject of mine. I have traveled thousands of miles for the opportunity. Now that I live in the Pacific Northwest, they are nearby at particular times of the year. Each January’s salmon run up the Nooksack River near the Canadian border brings many eagles to feast on the dying salmon. It is time-sensitive and only lasts about a week.
To shorten the story, I got to the Nooksack a week too late. Disappointed, I took a few landscape photos before heading home, a five-hour drive away. I turned off the highway on a whim when I saw a small sign indicating a wildlife protection area. I began to see occasional bald eagles and hawks on telephone poles. I found a flooded farm field covered in Pintail ducks, and on fence poles across the road, there were two eagles and a hawk. I set up my tripod and camera to wait for any action. Within five minutes, I turned and saw what I thought at first was a golden eagle flying low and straight at me. I was beyond excited and got many shots as it cooperated with a slow, swooping turn highlighted by the sun. That one brief encounter made the two-day trip worthwhile. When I loaded the photos into Lightroom and consulted some eagle experts, they confirmed a juvenile bald eagle, not a golden. Still, it was a great day.
