Eagle I by TwoPynts
Close
Hover over top left image to zoom.
Click anywhere to exit.
Members remain the original copyright holder in all their materials here at Renderosity. Use of any of their material inconsistent with the terms and conditions set forth is prohibited and is considered an infringement of the copyrights of the respective holders unless specially stated otherwise.
Description
Thanks for all the great feedback on yesterday's Kestral photo, OPTIMISTIC. It was a lot of fun photographing these birds and I'm glad I could share these images with you, my Renderosity friends. :o)
Today's photo is of a raptor that is near and dear to many American hearts, the bald eagle. They are large, fierce and beautiful birds of the wilderness. They thrive in quiet isolation, using tall, mature trees for nesting and perching; and lakes, rivers or seacoasts for hunting fish and waterfow. In 1782, the U.S. Congress selected the bald eagle as our national symbol to represent strength, conquest and freedom. Ironically, it is a threatened species. The total population of bald eagles is estimated at 3,000 to 4,000 birds.
In Florida, there are about 1,100 pairs of bald eagles. These birds are crucial to the future of the species in the U.S. because more nest here than in any other state except Alaska. I feel very fortunate that I was able to meet this beautiful bird this past weekend and take some photos of him. He had been been injured (by man) in the wild but rescued by a group that takes in injured animals. I'm happy to say that he is healthy once more, but never again will soar free.
Bald eagles are still abundant in Alaska and Canada, but their numbers have dwindled in the lower 48 states. As skillful predators, bald eagles are an indicator of the health and well-being of the environment shared by all life on this planet. If eagles are flourishing, the web of life that supports us all is intact. I hope that we all can do our part to keep that web of life healthy.
Olympus C5050 and PhotoshopCS
------
BALD EAGLE (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
Length: 27-35 in.
Weight: 9-14 lbs. (females larger than males)
Wingspan: 70-90 in.
Common Names: American eagle, white-headed eagle, white-headed sea eagle
Etymology:
balde (Old English) - "white"; haliaeetos (Greek) - "sea eagle"; leucocephalus (Greek) - "white-headed"
Description:
The bald eagle is the only large brown bird with a white head and tail. It has a massive yellow beak and yellow feet. Immature bald eagles have dark beaks and are dark all over with highly variable white splotching. The birds don't attain sexual maturity and the adult plumage of white head and tail until four to five years old. Sexes are similar in appearance, with females often noticeably larger than males. Northern birds are larger than southern birds.
Flight:
Soars on wide, flat, stiff wings that are held horizontally. For their size bald eagles are extremely agile and can turn quite suddenly.
Voice:
Bald eagles most commonly scream a gull-like cackle or whine, often with their heads tossed back when perching. The female's voice is lower-pitched.
Habitat:
Bald eagles are sea eagles and prefer to live near water, such as lakes, rivers, marshes, and seacoasts.
Food:
Bald eagles are primarily fish eaters. They can catch fish 6-12 inches under the surface, and they often go for dead or floating fish. Bald eagles hunt mostly in the early morning, and sometimes again in late afternoon. They will occasionally hunt cooperatively when hunting mammals. Bald eagles use several methods to catch prey, including swooping from a perch or while in flight and wading from shore into the water and grabbing fish with bill or talons. While much of the bald eagle's diet consists of fish, they will also eat ducks, rabbits, herons, squirrels, opossums and carrion. Almost 90% of the salmon eaten by eagles is carrion, often stolen from other birds such as osprey or immature eagles. Eagles are successful about 10% of the time when chasing mammals, and 70-80% when fishing. An adult bald eagle can consume one pound of fish in less than four minutes! They can lift 1/2 of their own weight, and carry 1/3 of their own weight.
To find out more, visit The Carolina Raptor Center.
Comments (33)
diomedes66
Magnificent shot, wonderful detail and colour saturation, terrific POV as the Eagle looks as if he is watching you closely! Bravo, well done, V
Vik9740
superb capture.. and you are lucky to have viewed him up close and personal!
deerpath
Fantastic and so beautiful. Thank you for posting this. I live in a forest near a large lake. Only once have I had the honor of seeing a bald eagle in the wild.
killerpumpkins
Man! I can't keep up with you. Excellent shot. Your a machine of perfection. KP
marybelgium
SUPERB ! Beautiful tones...Bravo !
Fruit_Passion
Splendid an eagle has white head the symbol of America. It has sharp eyes nothing can escape to him. Cheer for your capture ;)
Kropot
Wow, thats a nice bird. Excellent shot, love em.
DJB
Beauty of a shot. Really captured eye and feathers nice. This is how these birds should be seen! --------------------------- Sad but last week where I live they discovered 26 of these killed by idiots that are smuggling the feathers and parts for artwork. I kind of hope no one will buy tings like this so as not to support this insensitive slaying.
ralfy
stunning portrait of a beauty...agree with dbgrafix, too many people do not have enough respect of mother nature!
Haeberle
Wow, excellent shot again. Majestic !!! yup dB, too many idiots out there !
cynlee
another well shot raptor! they are such awesome birds, captivating in their majestic size & prowess :]
nelsone
Wow - Pretty hard to compete with this! The mantle of bird-maven is yours.
sossy
awesome lighted and clear catch of this beautiful and majestic eagle! wonderful feathers! stunning! the shade of the branches and the leafs on the left makes it perfect! a mastershot again! ;o)
Cosme..D..Churruca
Majestuosa ave,,, la reina del cielo ! Superb photo !
LostPatrol
Fantastic shot no question about it "V"
ambra2000
Ciao!Amazing image!Amazing and exceptional shot!I love it very much!Stunning colours and superb subject!Well done!V!Ciao dear friend!Have a nice day!A big hug!:-))
soulofharmony
superb capture gorgeous in the natural sunlight stunning capture.. excellent voteee:)
logiloglu
simply wow. he is so beautiful and can be proud. VOTE #:O)
tvernuccio
Magnificent!!! You nailed this one! vote!!! and thanks so much for all that you said. i've seen 2 injured ones before and it makes me so sad. they were put in the zoo. i just so much love this!
ebsmooth
awesome shot!!! would love to see a real live Eagle let alone be able to capture one on film! oustanding capture in all aspects!!! V!!!
BlueLotus7
Down here in Georgia I see so many eagles! They're majestic and regal in strength, agility and beauty! Thank you for this great capture on film!
hotracer2
a wonder ful portrait of a KING of the air!!!!!"V"
Zacko
Wow, what an amazing animal that is. And you captured it perfect. Your compo and presentation is perfect as well. Excellent work!!!
WandM
Fantastic work this group of people does! Beautiful shot!
sharky_
Beautiful. Such an awesome capture. Aloha
Egmont
I have yet to see an American Bald Eagle other than on film. I am lucky enough to have an Osprey come regularly to one of the high tension wires and feed off of fish he/she catches at the nearby lake. The Osprey is almost regular like a faithful watch. Your presentation tonight of the Bald Eagle is fantastic.Thank you for the data that accompanies the image. VOTE smile
BlACklADY-
es muy bell!! debe ser bastante fuerte... mira como te mira! hehe :] xcllent shot. well done! hugs and vote~
Richardphotos
tragic story that unfolds too often, but luckily this one was rescued and will live even though no flying. beautiful capture and Vote
Lledeline
Wonderful capture.
blacq_nyght_vampyre
PERFECTION!!!!!!!!