"WARRIOR PRINCESS"

American Bald Eagle (Juvenile) - 4 Photos

I am going to go out on a limb for this one (pardon the pun) but from the size of this young eagle, I would say it is a young female. It was truly a gift to capture such an amazing example of its species and honestly, it has to be one of the most striking I have ever seen. It must be a superb hunter already, as it appears to be in great form.

And for anyone who is interested, there is a story of how I achieved the photos.

I was walking along a pathway close to the Bow River when I saw a raven in a tree in the area below, next to another bird which I could not identify. So off I went, down the hill, to check it out. Unfortunately, once I could get to a point where I could see the bird behind the branch, it was another raven. Then something on the ground, caught my eye. Low and behold, there was a short tailed weasel standing up on top of a log, in its winter finery. And then it was gone - oh no! Decision made - I have lost opportunities in the past by not hanging around, only to find the weasel popping up in the close vicinity. After about 15 minutes, I began to think the weasel had long disappeared (as they magically do) and thought I should go back to tracking down eagles. OR as I looked up and saw a magpie chasing a large bird in my direction, I could just stand where I was back against a tree and the sun behind me, and wait until this eagle landed in the tree directly in front of me. Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good! And the eagle would have stayed longer, if it hadn't been for that pesky magpie that insisted on landing in the same tree and antagonizing it!

PHOTO #1

American Bald Eagle - Juvenile

PHOTO #2

American Bald Eagle - Juvenile

PHOTO #3

American Bald Eagle - Juvenile

PHOTO #4

American Bald Eagle - Juvenile