Michael Mroczek

Chasing a Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle

On two separate occasions this week two different bald eagles flew very close to the house. We spotted the first one while rushing to get the girls out the door one morning. It hovered over the lake for a couple of minutes, making a few attempts to grab a fish from the water. By the time I grabbed my camera and ran outside it turned and flew south into the trees.

We spotted the second one on Sunday morning while playing with the girls in the living room. I noticed the bird swoop down towards the water and then land in a pitch pine that sits on the border between my yard and the neighbor's. I ran to grab my camera again and made it out into the yard just as the bird took off from the tree. I was able to make a few photographs before it got too far away. The photos are not ideal as the eagle was flying away from the sun. Unfortunately it's white head was in shadow.

To satisfy my growing addiction to raptors, I'm now starting to think of ways to keep my camera closer to the living room so I can grab it quickly. Ideally I'd leave it mounted on a tripod but I don't think that is a kid friendly, or aesthetically pleasing option. I'll just have to make do with keeping it on a shelf for now.