A Morning with a Juvenile Bald Eagle

Part of the enjoyment of being a nature photographer is seeing the animal’s behavior in its natural environment. The other morning, a friend and I met a local biologist at a nearby eagle’s nest to observe and photograph the residents. The subject was a 14 week old bald eagle that just recently learned to fly. The young eagle did not disappoint us.

I’ve included some photos below that provide a summary of some of the young eagle’s behavior.

When we arrived, the Juvenile was perched on a dead tree.

Soon, the young eagle was harassed by a red winged blackbird. The blackbird was dive-bombing her and pecking her in the back. This seemed to be just a minor irritant to the eagle.

Blackbird dive bombing a juvenile bald eagle

When mom arrived, the juvenile submitted to her, bowing her head the entire time.

The juvenile’s reaction to dad was entirely different. She came flying toward dad squawking during the entire flight. I believe that she may have been expecting breakfast.

When, the sun rose and it started to get hot. She spread her wings to cool down and even started to pant.

It was a fantastic morning. When photographing wildlife, take a few minutes to slow down and observe the animal’s behavior. It’s truly amazing.

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