Tuesday, June 19, 2012

American Icon


If you've been visiting my blog for a while, you may remember this eagle from a couple of posts last year. It was injured and could no longer fly so it was taken to a wildlife center for care. I went back recently to see if it was still there and take a few photos. It was and I did.

Over the weekend, I saw my very first adult bald eagle in the wild. Unfortunately, from a photographic standpoint, I was fishing in a bass tournament at the time and did not have my camera gear. The eagle flew over our boat and landed in a stand of trees at the shoreline. Until I am fortunate enough to see another one in the wild when I actually have my camera, the photos of this eagle remain the only ones I have of an adult.






49 comments:

Mary Howell Cromer said...

Splendid Brian, absolutely splendid. I have had the good fortune to view and photograph Bald Eagles near Madison, Indiana...they are amazing!

Linda said...

These are magnificent photos! I am hoping to go out in the boat soon with my new lens - we have an eagle nest right at the edge of the river and I almost always get to see eagles flying there - but my shots have not been as clear because I was using a 300mm lens from a moving boat. This time I plan to have the 150-500mm lens on when we leave the dock! Hope you get to see one in the wild soon - I am sure your photos would be wonderful!

Linda said...

BTW, did you catch any fish in the tournament?

Elizabeth Edwards said...

gorgeous bird. they fly in our back yard & swoop down to grab a fish or two. they make me still & i'm truly blessed to enjoy their flight. wonder if they know how cool they really are? (:

Meggie said...

Oh, my goodness....I do not have adequate words for your photos of this magnificent bird....they are breath-taking!

Pamela Gordon said...

Amazing photos! You are fortunate that you can get so close to this beautiful eagle and photograph it.
I have tried to capture them on camera but they are too fast! (and the camera operator is too slow! lol)

Carole M. said...

these photographs are incredibly sharp and clear; top marks Brian! What a tease that you should spot the other in the wild when you were without a camera.

NatureStop said...

Brain,

WOW is all I can say...amazing photography(am sure you already know that:))Have a great day!

Shantana

Lindsjö taxar said...

What great pictures, sharp and clear. Did you use your 500 mm lens. Its really close.

Andee said...

Great pictures Brian.

Amy Burzese said...

Magnificent. I have never seen one in the wild either.

Eko said...

Kerta kaikkiaan hienoja kuvia 'arvokkaasta' ja 'arvonsa tuntevasta'
"Herrasta"...
Onnitelut Kuva-Sarjasta...
Eko
Suomi/Lapland/Kuusamo

Noushka said...

Magnificent portraits of one of the most majestic birds of prey I can think of!
The light on the 3rd pic makes it a great photo well worth a poster!!
Cheers Brian!

TexWisGirl said...

very beautiful.

JOY @ http://joysjotsshots.blogspot.com/ said...

The capture of the dark feathers almost looks like a painting. Thanks for the close-up views. Awesome!

Kim, USA said...

WOW!! These photos are superlative!


Kim,USA

Grandma Barb's This and That said...

Amazing photos of the Eagle, Brian. They are an incredible bird. I visited the Eagle Center in Wabasha, MN last spring and learned a lot about them.
How was the bass tournatment?

HansHB said...

Awesome photos, so lovely to see!
Have a nice evening!

barbara l. hale said...

What a majestic bird! Great photos! I am all for you putting your fishing gear away and sticking with the camera. lol.

Springman said...

Talk about detail...these pictures are the final word...as for eagles in the wild, come back home to Michigan Brother!

Dave said...

its an incredible bird, its presence must be unbelievable. Great to see that YOUR bird is doing just fine

Unknown said...

Stunning!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

Dina said...

Beautiful portraits! If you can ever get down to central Florida in the winter, you can see quite a few wild ones. Pinellas county has the hightest concentration of eagles nests than any other in Florida. Last year there were 48 babies born.

Linda said...

Wow, amazing photos

CameraCruise said...

Wow, amazing photos of the beautiful eagle!

mick said...

Great close-up photos of a magnificent bird.

Debbie said...

these are awesome images brian. i sure hope you caught a lot of fish, to justify leaving that camera at home!!

beautiful close-ups!!

Kerri Farley said...

TRULY a Regal bird!! Wonderful captures!

Marc Heath said...

Wow, what stunning shots.

Adam Jones said...

What an awesome bird. Brilliant shots too.

Anonymous said...

WoW!!! My goodness gracious, What. A. Beauty. LOVE the eyes! Very nice captures & oh so gorgeous!!! =)

I used to see eagles in my neighborhood when I was a kid, but they disappeared until 2 years ago, my parent's saw 2 at their farm, which isn't where I grew up, but in the same area, pretty much.

How'd the tournament go?

Anonymous said...

Hi Brian,

I just read your comment & if I understand you correctly, I can go into Settings under Basic & click Edit Title and change the name there and it won't affect my visitors? See, that's what I thought, but a few others said differently...
How do I update the domain in my blog's dashboard? I don't understand what you mean, there...

Tammy said...

Gorgeous shots Brian! Wild or captive, Bald Eagles are always a treat to see; they are such magnificent birds!

Kenneth Cole Schneider said...

Outstanding portraits, Brian!

Anonymous said...

His eyes and feathers are gorgeous.. awesome shots, Brian. What a magnificent symbol he is for our country.

Linda said...

Awesome! Awesome shots! Magnificent detail!

Anonymous said...

Wonderful photography! What a gorgeous bird!

eileeninmd said...

Brian, awesome closeups of the eagle.
I hope you did great in the tournament. Thanks for sharing, have a great day!

Gail Dixon said...

Majestic bird and beautiful shots!! Focus and colors are spot-on. Amazing series to be proud of.

Vores have said...

Great pictures you show of the eagle. Wishing you a good Wednesday. Hanne Bente

NatureFootstep said...

you have redecorated your blog. Haven´t you? I like it. And so good shots. It looks like it is showing you it´s best side.

Good luck next time with the wild one.

Liz said...

Absolutely brilliant shots Brian!! What a wonderful experience to get so close to the Bald Eagle!!
Awesome close up!!

Andrea @ From The Sol said...

What a clean healthy young adult ... magnificent pictures of a magnificent bird. I wish our politicians were living up to what he symbolizes :(. We could all learn many lessons from nature.

Andrea @ From The Sol

Nancy said...

Love the last capture -- the light across his eye is mesmerizing!

Ida said...

Simply Stunning! - In the wild or not these are amazing photos of this magnificent bird.

Hilke Breder said...

Lovely close-ups, both in detail and quality of light. Well done, Brian! Good luck in getting a wild one!

Modesto Viegas said...

Great portrait!!!!

Roan said...

He is magnificent. The only one I've ever seen in the wild wasn't really in the wild. We were getting on the interstate and he was perched on a sign. Of course, had I brought my camera, there was too much traffic to stop.

Olga said...

Wow! I like your pictures!