Bald Eagle – Small in the frame – Golden Spike National Historic Site, Utah
Yesterday Ron, Brian Gatlin and I went to Bear River National Wildlife Refuge and the Golden Spike National Historic Site area in bad light, falling snow and lake fog looking for birds to photograph and we came up pretty much empty-handed but we did find this adult Bald Eagle perched on some snow-covered rocks going towards the Golden Spike National Historic Site Visitor Center as the snow fell. The eagle was quite a distance away but I loved the rugged habitat so I decided to have the raptor small in the frame rather than over-crop and reduce the image quality. For me the habitat in this frame is as important as the Bald Eagle.
It was about 5 degrees Fahrenheit which was cold for us even photographing from inside a warm vehicle so I imagine the Bald Eagle was cold too.
We didn’t come away with the images that we hoped for but Brian’s company was terrific and we all had a great time while surrounded by the beauty of nature.
Mia
Hi! I love every bit of the picture!! Reading books looking at great pictures I am the fly on the wall or the mouse in the grass , enjoying evry second of the time there!! Great shots!
Thanks Mom, I’m glad you feel like you are alongside me in the photos.
FANTASTIC photo!!!!
Thank you Nicole!
I really like the lichens, and think the colors add a lot to the whole picture. It seems that they add to or draw my eyes to the bird’s rusty variations in his plumage. Or is it that I just really really like lichens!
Fern
I’m liking lichens Fern! Thank you.
The eagle in the golden sector and the rocks echoing the great strength the bird posses. It’s a lyric poem in itself, Mia. Lovely.
Thank you Merrill!
It seems when we view photographs taken by others, we only see an image and we either like or don’t like it (with lots of varying degrees of like/dislike). When we look at an image we have taken ourselves, we are immediately transported to the moment we took the photograph. We can sense the cold, the wind, the sounds, the smells, the companions – it’s no longer a photograph, it’s an experience.
I like the picture.
I agree Wally, it is the experience we remember when we view our own images. Thanks much for your comment.
I actually adore this shot. Just finished a course by Moose Peterson and he talks alot about how everyone is so all about having those super close in shots and how it really doesn’t tell a story about the critters and their habitats. So there! LOL But then I’m just as guilty of wanting that close clear shot!
Sherry, I want them close up and far away, guess I am greedy?? LOL. Thanks for your comment.
The colors of the rocks, grass, and eagle go very well together! Great shot, Mia.
Thanks Charlotte!
I like it. Great composition, Mia.
Thanks Bob!
Beautiful Mia, here they are called “El Cabeza Blanca”. Gorgeous bird with great scenery.
I really like this photo in spite of the limiting lighting conditions you describe Mia. The repeating patches of snow tie in with the shape and white head of the eagle (for me anyway).
Thanks John, the eagle and the setting are what make this image work for me. That and whenever I see this file from now on I will remember what a terrific day it was despite the weather!
The photo is amazing! The detail and the landscape more than make up for any concerns about distance!
Thank you Kathleen and thanks for visiting my blog.
Really beautiful as a Bald Eagle can be.
Thanks Bob, the bird was a delight after getting skunked for most of the morning.
nicely done, perharps colors around the eagle are a bit higth, but its already pretty like that
Thank you Eric. The rocks are pretty colorful in person too, they are covered with lichens of various colors, the most noticeable ones are orangish.