Intense
All eagles are renowned for their excellent eyesight, and the bald eagle is no exception. They have two foveae or centers of focus, that allow the birds to see both forward and to the side at the same time. Bald eagles are capable of seeing fish in the water from several hundred feet above, while soaring, gliding or in flapping flight. This is quite an extraordinary feat, since most fish are counter-shaded, meaning they are darker on top and thus harder to see from above. Fishermen can confirm how difficult it is to see a fish just beneath the surface of the water from only a short distance away.
Young bald eagles have been known to make mistakes, such as attacking objects like plastic bottles floating on or just below the surface of the water. Bald eagles will locate and catch dead fish much more rapidly and efficiently than live fish, because dead fish float with their light underside up, making them easier to see.
Eagles have eyelids that close during sleep. For blinking, they also have an inner eyelid called a nictitating membrane. Every three or four seconds, the nictitating membrane slides across the eye from front to back, wiping dirt and dust from the cornea. Because the membrane is translucent, the eagle can see even while it is over the eye.
Eagles, like all birds, have color vision. An eagle’s eye is almost as large as a human’s, but its sharpness is at least four times that of a person with perfect vision. The eagle can probably identify a rabbit moving almost a mile away. That means that an eagle flying at an altitude of 1000 feet over open country could spot prey over an area of almost 3 square miles from a fixed position.
Intense belongs to the following groups:
Animal Portraits and Eye Contact (Animals Only) Available for sale asGreeting Cards

elphonline
wow, love the eyes.
Lori Walton replied
Thanks Elphonline. I do too, they truly “speak” to you.
dc witmer
see….bald is beautiful
great close up
Lori Walton replied
I know that Doug ….. remember you met my bald Hubby. LOL Thanks.
eXposure
wonderful close up Lori …
beautiful birds
Lori Walton replied
Thank you Exposure. I think so too.
RickF
Great shot!
Lori Walton replied
Thanks Rick!!
pat oubridge
Fabulous shot Lori
Lori Walton replied
Thanks Pat
macabrecat
Wow! Gorgeous shot Lori…!!!
Lori Walton replied
Thanks Macabrecat.
Mindy Miller
Great catch Lori!
Lori Walton replied
Thanks Mindy. The Eagle did most of the work. LOL
Mindy Miller
It’s a beautiful shot!
Carol Barona
This is gorgeous! Awesome capture
Lori Walton replied
Thank you Carol.
DottieDees
Wow! Piercingly beautiful….
Lori Walton replied
Thank you so much Dottie.
sunshine0
What an awsome closeup! How did you manage to get this shot? Makes me swell with patriotsm.
Lynda McDonald
wow !,,,,,,,,,,,,,,fabulous image
Mindy Miller
I absolutely love this shot Lori, How’d you get so close?
Lori Walton replied
This was taken at the American Eagle Foundation Mindy. They have several Eagles there that are unreleasable for many reasons, this one flew into some power lines and lost a wing because of it. Sad that those things happen but at least they get to live out their lives there in a natural habitat.
Mindy Miller
Glad to hear he’s okay.
mekea
Wonderful capture!!!!!!
Tom Newman
Top portrait Lori, perfect DoF. Interesting story about the Bald eagle :-)
Svetlana Sewell
Gorgeous shot!!! :)))
Lori Walton replied
Thank you Svetlana
dmvphotos
Yes this is definately very intense. His stare is amazing, and you have captured it beautifully!
Lori Walton replied
Thank you so much for your nice comment!!
jdmphotography
This image would also be very welcome in the Eye Contact Group