Young Golden Eagle On A Cliff

Young Golden Eagle and its shadow – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1250, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited

I found and pointed out quite a few birds yesterday but my favorite was this young Golden Eagle on a cliff in morning light because it was so beautiful. The setting with the lichen covered rocks and bright blue sky complemented the warm brown plumage of this immature eagle. In this image a breeze had fluffed up the golden crown of the large, dark bird as its shadow fell on the cliff below it.

Yawning young Golden Eagle – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1250, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited

From a slightly different view point I was able to photograph the young Golden Eagle when it yawned. I don’t often get views like this of this species or find such a cooperative Golden Eagle so I took full advantage of the opportunity and took hundreds of photos of this bird.

Immature Golden Eagle’s “crown” – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1600, ISO 640, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited

Then from another view point I took images of the striking immature Golden Eagle where I could see the individual golden feathers of its crown being lifted up by a chilly breeze. Those feathers truly look like a crown in this photo.

Immature Golden Eagle on a spring morning – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1600, ISO 640, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited

This immature Golden Eagle was a thrill for me to photograph. For many years I considered this species a nemesis because it seemed like something always went wrong when I’d find them in the field. It was years before I took photographs of this species that I really liked.

Immature Golden Eagle in a breeze – Nikon D500, f8, 1/1250, ISO 640, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited

When I first spotted this Golden Eagle from a distance I thought it might be a Turkey Vulture. I took my first of season Turkey Vulture images prior to finding this eagle yesterday and they were still on my mind. Then I saw the white in this bird’s tail feathers and immediately knew I had found “gold” and not another vulture. I kept hoping that the young eagle would lift off while I had it in my viewfinder. It didn’t but I was happy to have seen it at all.

Other Raptors Of Note From Yesterday:

It was a joy to find eight late Rough-legged Hawks that still haven’t migrated to their breeding grounds including one intermediate morph. That bird was a thrill to see and photograph because I haven’t found that many intermediate morphs while I have lived in Utah.

I also saw but didn’t photograph my first of the season Ospreys yesterday. I saw a pair on their nest when it was still dark when I could barely make out their shape and their white markings. Later in the morning I saw one of them in good light on their nest on the way home.

Life is good.

Mia

Click here to see more of my Golden Eagle photos plus facts and information about this species.