Taking Flight

Taking Flight

Featured in We are passionate about Birds of Pray and in Canon DSLR groups

On a very cold and snowy day, a Bald Eagle holds tightly onto his Salmon lunch as he takes flight!
This is the fourth in this series of this eagle .
taken from the smaller bridge in Rockport WA.
Canon 30D canon100-400LIS@320mm
ISO 800
f5/6 @ 1/500sec

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About Bald Eagles
The Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus Leucocephalus) is found only on the North American continent. Adult male eagles generally weigh about 9 pounds. Adult females weigh in at between 12 and 13 pounds. Adult eagles have a wing span of up to 7 feet. Immature eagles are mottled brown and white. The distinct white head and tail of the mature bird is developed at 5 years of age. In the wild, bald eagles live to between 30 and 35 years. In captivity, they have been known to live up to 50 years.

Eagles do not live in isolation! Because they are near the top of the food chain, they become an irreplaceable indicator for measuring the health of the entire ecological system in which they live. After being listed as an endangered species in 1978 following a dramatic drop in population that began at the turn of the century, the Bald Eagle’s status was upgraded to Threatened on August 11, 1995. Although efforts to replenish populations of the Bald Eagle have been successful, it continues to be protected under the Endangered Species Act, the Bald Eagle Protection Act, and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

Eating Habits
Eagles feed mainly on fish, but water fowl, small mammals and carrion supplement their diet, especially when fish are in short supply. Eagles can fly up to 30 m.p.h. and can dive at speeds up to 100 m.p.h. Their keen eyesight allows them to spot fish at distances up to 1 mile. Eagles swoop down to seize a fish in their talons and carry it off, but can only lift about five pounds. Under certain circumstances, eagles have been known to drown trying to lift a fish that weighed too much.
Bald Eagles have also been known to swim to shore with a heavy fish using their strong wings as paddles.

Mating Behaviors
Bald eagles mate for life. Courting behavior begins in early April and often involves spectacular aerial displays of eagles diving and locking talons. Eagles lay from 1 to 3 eggs (commonly two) and the eggs usually hatch between late May and early June after a 34 or 35 day incubation period. In four months, eaglets appear to be larger than their parents because of their longer flight feathers. These feathers serve as nature’s training wheels, helping the juveniles stabilize during their early flying days. By the end of the summer, the parent eagles begin to suffer from “empty nest syndrome” as their offspring can generally fly and take off to be on their own. Eagles migrate in winter and often roost and hunt in groups along waterways that don’t freeze and have abundant food.

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