Golden Eagle in Flight Series

[grandpawrichard]

Here is a series of photos I grabbed on Sunday (March 27, 2011). It was all taken with my Canon 40D Camera, a 400 mm lens with a 1.4X extender and hand Held.





















I hope that you enjoy the photos.

Dick

[Malottguy]

Awesome photos and it is so cool to see raptors in flight and on the hunt.

[grandpawrichard]

Here's some Closer Views:









Dick

[bowhunterforever]

Awsome pics

[Malottguy]

That last one he is looking at you it seems  maybe thinking the guy with the camera might be tasty LOL 

[ORCA_SIX]

Pretty cool. Is this a hobby?

[woodman]

Dick,

As usual, your pictures are not only outstanding, but a very big contribution to this site. They help make this site interesting and are something to look forward to seeing, to see what you will come up with next. You always have a nice variety of quality things to look at. Great job, and keep them coming!


Joe

[jyerxa]

Hand held? Damn! Very Nice!

I have seen a bunch of those eagles in my area. I thought they were young baldy s. How can you tell which one is which?

*** edit ***

I need to go find a photo. I don't know how long it will take.

*** edit ***

Okay, got it.

Here is a family of eagles. I don't know how long it takes the immature eagles to turn to a white head. I think it is a couple of years. So I am confused now. I know I saw some golden eagles in Texas. But to tell the difference when they are in the same area I just wouldn't know.

Okay, back to the cameras. This is my 70x300 at 300.

[grandpawrichard]

That last one he is looking at you it seems  maybe thinking the guy with the camera might be tasty LOL 

He did get pretty close, but I couldn't keep up with him because I had to Manual Focus the lens as I took the photos. When an Eagle flies the cover a Huge amount of distance extremely quick and when they are coming straight at you there is no way to manual focus quick enough. I sure wish the 1.4X adapter wouldn't mess with the focus system of my lens.

My wife told me that it is time for me to shave off my beard because when I went across the road and up to the fence to take photos the baby lambs would come up to me calling me "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!" (I guess they know an Old Goat when they see one! )

Dick

[grandpawrichard]

Pretty cool. Is this a hobby?

Yes ORCA, this is indeed an Expensive Hobby! I am a Retired Heavy Construction/ Building Construction Laborer from Laborers Local 901 in Mt. Vernon, WA.

I also retired from working as a Sales Associate in Sporting Goods Stores last October. Now I just kick back, take photos and enjoy life!

Dick

[grandpawrichard]

Joe,
Thank you so very much for the very Kind Words and Compliment! I really do appreciate them very much!
Everyone on this site do as much and more than I do to make this site what it is.
I just love to come here and read the posts and to share my photos.

Dick

[grandpawrichard]

jyerxa

The plumage of an adult Bald Eagle is evenly brown with a white head and tail. The tail is moderately long and slightly wedge-shaped. Males and females are identical in plumage coloration, but sexual dimorphism is evident in the species in that females are 25 percent larger than males.[2] The beak, feet, and irises are bright yellow. The legs are feather-free, and the toes are short and powerful with large talons. The highly developed talon of the hind toe is used to pierce the vital areas of prey while it is held immobile by the front toes.[3] The beak is large and hooked, with a yellow cere.[4]

The plumage of the immature is brown, speckled with white until the fifth (rarely fourth, very rarely third) year, when it reaches sexual maturity.[2][3] Immature Bald Eagles are distinguishable from the Golden Eagle in that the former has a more protruding head with a larger beak, straighter edged wings which are held flat (not slightly raised) and with a stiffer wing beat, and feathers which do not completely cover the legs.[5] The Bald Eagle is a large bird, with a body length of 70–102 centimeters (28–40 in), a wingspan of between 1.68 m (66 in) and 2.44 m (96 in), and a mass of 2.5–7 kilograms (5.5–15 lb); females are about 25 percent larger than males, adult females averaging 5.8 kilograms (13 lb) and males averaging 4.1 kilograms (9.0 lb).[2][6][7] The size of the bird varies by location; the smallest specimens are those from Florida, where an adult male may barely exceed 2.3 kilograms (5.1 lb) and a wingspan of 1.8 m (5.9 ft). The largest are Alaskan birds, where large females may exceed 7.5 kilograms (17 lb) and have a wingspan of over 2.4 m (7.9 ft).[4]

Its diet consists mainly of fish, but it is an opportunistic feeder. It hunts fish by swooping down and snatching the fish out of the water with its talons. It is sexually mature at four years or five years of age. In the wild, Bald Eagles can live up to thirty years, and often survive longer in captivity.[8] The Bald Eagle builds the largest nest of any North American bird, up to 4 meters (13 ft) deep, 2.5 meters (8.2 ft) wide, and one metric ton (1.1 tons) in weight.[2]

The call consists of weak chirping whistles, harsher and more shrill from young birds than adults.[5]

The average lifespan of Bald Eagles in the wild is around 20 years, with the oldest living to be about 30. In captivity, they often live somewhat longer. In one instance, a captive individual in New York lived for nearly 50 years. As with size, the average lifespan of an eagle population appears to be influenced by its location.[8]

The Bald Eagle is a powerful flier, and soars on thermal convection currents. It reaches speeds of 56–70 kilometers per hour (35–43 mph) when gliding and flapping, and about 48 kilometers per hour (30 mph) while carrying fish.[24] Its dive speed is between 120–160 kilometers per hour (75–99 mph), though it seldom dives vertically.[25] It is partially migratory, depending on location. If its territory has access to open water, it remains there year-round, but if the body of water freezes during the winter, making it impossible to obtain food, it migrates to the south or to the coast. The Bald Eagle selects migration routes which take advantage of thermals, updrafts, and food resources. During migration, it may ascend in a thermal and then glide down, or may ascend in updrafts created by the wind against a cliff or other terrain. Migration generally takes place during the daytime, when thermals are produced by the sun.[3]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bald_Eagle

Dick

[grandpawrichard]

The Golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) is one of the best known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. Once widespread across the Holarctic, it has disappeared from many of the more heavily populated areas. Despite being extirpated from some its former range or uncommon, the species is still fairly ubiquitous, being present in Eurasia, North America, and parts of Africa. The highest density of nesting Golden Eagles in the world lies in southern Alameda County, California. These birds are dark brown, with lighter golden-brown plumage on their heads and necks.

Golden eagles use their agility and speed combined with extremely powerful talons to snatch up prey including rabbits, marmots, ground squirrels, and large mammals such as fox, wild and domestic cats, mountain goats, ibex, and young deer. They will also eat carrion if prey is scarce, as well as reptiles. Birds, including large species up to the size of swans and cranes as well as ravens and Greater Black-backed Gulls have all been recorded as prey. They have even been known to attack and kill fully grown roe deer. The Eurasian subspecies are used to hunt and kill wolves in many native communities, where their status is regarded with great mystic reverence.

Golden eagles maintain territories that may be as large as 155 square kilometres (60 square miles). They are monogamous and may remain together for several years or possibly for life. Golden Eagles nest in high places including cliffs, trees, or human structures such as telephone poles. They build huge nests to which they may return for several breeding years. Females lay from one to four eggs, and both parents incubate them for 40 to 45 days. Typically, one or two young survive to fledge in about three months.

The Golden eagle is a large, dark brown raptor with broad wings. Its size is variable: it ranges from 70 to 85 centimetres (2 ft 4 in to 2 ft 9 in) in length, has a wingspan of 185 to 220 centimetres (6 ft 1 in to 7 ft 3 in), and weighs 3 to 6 kilograms (7 to 13 lb).[2] Sexes are similar in plumage but are considerably dimorphic in size, with females much larger than males.[3] Adults are primarily brown, with gold on the back of the crown and nape, and some grey on the wings and tail.[4] tarsal feathers range from white to dark brown. In addition, some birds have white "epaulettes" on the upper part of each scapular feather tract.[5] The bill is dark at the tip, fading to a lighter horn color, with a yellow cere.[6]

Juveniles have a darker, unfaded color, white patches in the remiges which may be divided by darker feathers,[7] and a large amount of white on the tail with a black terminal band.[3] Occasionally upper wing feathers of juveniles are also white, or birds lack white on the wing entirely. As the bird ages, the amount of white on wings and tail diminishes, and adult plumages is usually acquired by the fifth year.[7]

Feeding
At San Francisco Zoo, USA. Beak is well-suited to tear apart large prey

The Golden Eagle's predominant prey in North America are leporids (hares and rabbits) and sciurids (ground squirrels, prairie dogs, and marmots). In a study, mammals comprised 83.9% of the eagles' diet.[12] Its prey also varies by region: in Washington, the Yellow-bellied marmot was eaten significantly more than other species,[13] while in Sweden, birds were primarily consumed, especially the Western Capercaillie.[14]

Additional mammals regularly taken include mice, martens, foxes, young deer, and mountain goats.[citation needed] There is growing concern amongst the Western Isles farming community in Scotland over the number of lambs taken by eagles.[15]

The secondary important prey group for eagles are other birds. Various gallinaceous birds (largely phasianids, ptarmigans and grouse) are the most significant avian prey. However, virtually any bird, from a jay to a swan, is potential prey. Golden eagles are avian apex predators, meaning a healthy adult is not preyed upon. There are records of golden eagles killing and eating large raptors such as Gyrfalcons, Northern Goshawks, and Buteo hawks, whether adults, nestlings or eggs. Falcons, skuas, and Buteos like Rough-legged Hawks, which are normally competitors, have worked together to group-mob Golden Eagles that have passed their adjacent nesting areas.[16] In one instance, a golden eagle flying in towards a peregrine falcon nest was struck and killed by a swooping parent falcon.[17] This may have been a freak event since, bearing in mind the eagle is many times larger and more powerful than the falcon, the reverse outcome is much more likely.[18] More commonly, Golden Eagles kleptoparasitize, or steal prey, from other raptors. While not as large as some vultures, golden eagles are capable of driving vultures and other raptors from carrion.

During winter months when prey is scarce, Golden Eagles scavenge on carrion or large prey, such as goat-antelopes and caribou.[19] There is one confirmed report of a Golden Eagle snatching the cub of a Brown Bear,[20] Other attacks by a pair of eagles on adult brown bear have been filmed, the birds probably were driving the bear out of their territory.

Golden Eagles have exceptional eyesight and can spot prey from extreme distances. The Golden Eagle's eyes are many times more powerful than that of a human. The huge talons are used for crushing, killing and carrying the prey, whilst the beak is used for tearing and eating. A pair often have a division of labour while hunting, one bird may drive the prey towards its waiting partner. On the other hand, the size difference between males and females allows more unpaired birds to live off the land, which is helpful to maintain a sufficiently large population for this large and slowly-maturing bird.

Golden Eagles usually mate for life. They build several eyries within their territory and use them alternately for several years. These nests consist of heavy tree branches, upholstered with grass when in use. Old eyries may be 2 metres (6.6 ft) in diameter and 1 metre (3.3 ft) in height, as the eagles repair their nests whenever necessary and enlarge them during each use. If the eyrie is situated on a tree, supporting tree branches may break because of the weight of the nest. Certain other animals—birds and mammals too small to be of interest to the huge raptor—often use the nest as shelter. Their predators are just the right size for Golden Eagle prey, and therefore avoid active eyries.

The female lays one to four (usually two) eggs between January and September (depending on the locality). The eggs vary from all white to white with cinnamon or brown spots and blotches. They start incubation immediately after the first egg is laid, and after 40 to 45 days the young hatch.[citation needed] They are covered in fluffy white down and are fed for fifty days before they are able to make their first flight attempts and eat on their own. In most cases only the older chick survives, while the younger one dies without leaving the eyrie. This is due to the older chick having a few days' advantage in growth and consequently winning most squabbles for food. This strategy is useful for the species because it makes the parents' workload manageable even when food is scarce, while providing a reserve chick in case the first-born dies soon after hatching. Golden eagles invest much time and effort in bringing up their young; once able to hunt on their own, most golden eagles survive many years, but mortality even among first-born nestlings is much higher, in particular in the first weeks after hatching.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Eagle

Dick

[jyerxa]

Hey thanks Dick,

Well?,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, I think I have some eyeballs to rub the next time I see an eagle. I simply pass it off as an immature baldy. You obviously have the opportunity to see these details with you own eyes and quite often it sounds like.

Honesty, I never knew we had golden eagles here in our area. Never gave it a thought. Thank you very much. Really.

Jeff

[grandpawrichard]

You are quite Welcome Jeff!

My eye sight is actually pretty poor, so I rely on the camera lens and the adapter to show me what bird I am looking at!

I saved your photo to my desktop and took it into Photoshop to enlarge it. You definitely got a photo of a family of Bald Eagles in that shot!

Dick

[Wazukie]

As always great shots Dick.  I'm out at Long Beach at the moment and the weather IS NOT cooperating.  We were going to walk the refuge at the north end but it was pouring down rain.    We'll see what happens in the morning I guess.  Again nice series.

[TrkyBob53]

grandparichard, after reading your posts about the eagles, lets see if I have this right.  The bald eagle is bigger than the golden.  I have an ongoing discussion with a friend, him saying that the golden is bigger.  I have looked at two different sources, and they both are total opposite.  One source is a NatGeo bird book, and the other was a NatGeo search on the internet.  We have a lot of eagles here in the valley duriing calfing season,  and I am assuming the big brown eagles must be immature balds.

[wilsongideon]

Seriously nice pictures Dick!! Picture taking takes some serious time and energy, Nice when it pays off with some high quality shots like these.

[Widgeondeke]

I think I see a mallard wing in the last pic of your original post. Was the eagle hunting ducks?  Very nive pics and thanks for sharing.

[grandpawrichard]

I think I see a mallard wing in the last pic of your original post. Was the eagle hunting ducks?  Very nive pics and thanks for sharing.

There was a Mallard Flying around! I never noticed it until I got to editing the photos. I didn't crop the photo enough to get rid of the wing. I was so intent on the Eagle I didn't see the duck in the lens.

Dick

[Smokepole]

Great pics GPR.  I like the fact that you aren't just snapping shots, but enjoying your subjects and appreciating them.  I especially like that you bring good stuff like this to the forum, so we can all enjoy it.  Thanks for posting the info on eagles.  From a distance I usually assume big brown birds are immature balds or turkey vultures.  I'll look close from now on!

[grandpawrichard]

Thanks for the very kind words Kevin!

Eagles are my absolute Favorite Birds, so I have a real passion for trying to take "The Perfect Photo" of them. I so love to watch them and I always marvel in their grace of flight for such a huge bird.

One day my wife and I were out on Samish Island watching the Eagles and I was trying to take photos of them. We parked the car 2 Power poles away from a fully mature Bald Eagle. I really wanted to get as close as I could so that I could take just a Head Shot of him. I kept edging towards the pole he was on a few steps at a time, camera to my face. Every few steps I would snap a photo of him.

He let me get to within 20 feet from the bottom of his pole before he got tired of me and my game. He dove off the pole to take flight. Well, he dove off on my side of the pole. As you know, they drop quite a distance in height befor their wings catch enough wind to provide lift for them.

There I was, camera to my face, 400 mm lens on the camera, finger held down on the shutter release, camera going click, click, click. When that Eagle flapped his wings for the first time he was ONLY 1 Foot Above my head! My hat actually blew off of my head and my bald head felt the wind from those HUGE Wings! 

Sadly none of the photos turned out because the camera couldn't keep him in focus due to his speed coming at me and the distance of focus for my 400 mm lens is over 11 feet. But it was an Experience I will remember All of my life! I did get one photo that half way turned out, it is of this HUGE Blackish wing!

When the Eagle went over my head he swooped up, gained height and landed on the power pole right at the side of my car where my wife was sitting. She was so excited when I got back to our car! She told me that she wished she would have had a camera in her hands as that eagle went over my head and flew towards her! Then she asked me why I didn't duck as that eagle went over my head! She said she figured he was going to drop his talons and take a piece of me with him to eat! 

Now when we go out taking photos, my wife carries a point and shoot camera with her and she also wants to use my camera to shoot some photos. One of these days I'll talk her into letting me buy a Canon 7D camera and then she can have my Canon 40D!

Dick

[Smokepole]

 

[Decker]

Nice series Dick! I LOVE Golden Eagles, wished I could get one on film.

[jyerxa]

What a cool story Dick. I think some photos are only meant for our memories to ever see again.

[jyerxa]

Hey Dick,

I had such a good time on this thread discussing eagles and seeing the photos you took, I just thought of this thread when I got an email this morning with this link. This is a live real time link into an eagle nest with 3 chicks. I watched the mama feeding them this morning. She is nesting the chicks at this moment. But this is live streaming of a nest. Thought you would enjoy.

http://www.raptorresource.org/falcon_cams/index.html

[grandpawrichard]

Thanks for the link my Friend! I now have it bookmarked! I have also sent it on to all of my family!

Dick

[PlateauNDN]

Thanks for sharing the photos.  It would have been even sweeter if he was going in for a kill!

[boneaddict]

Somehow I missed this one.  Way to stay on him.  I KNOW how hard that is.  COOL!

[saylean]

Love raptors. Fine work Gparichard. I love watching the ducks go nuts when the bald eagles dive bomb em on the lake here.