The journey of the bald eagle
One of the more regal aviators navigating the Florida skies is the Bald Eagle. Like so many other birds, the bald eagle is not born with its symbolic adult plumage. I've been fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of the bald eagle's journey as he sheds his monotonous juvenile feathers and adorns the full majesty of the iconic bald eagle we know and love.
A juvenile (1st yr) bald eagle via Nikon d7000 500mm f/4: 1/1000 @ f/5.6 iso200
A young first year bald eagle (shown above) soars through the open sky. To the untrained eye, the dark head and tail feathers as well as dull grey bill of the juvenile bald eagle make him appear to be an altogether different species from his parents. Yet, as one can see from the image to the left, as the eagle matures his adult features start to show. This late third year old eagle illustrates the changing out of the old brown head and tail feathers to the prestigious white feathers seen in the mature bald eagle. The eagle's bill is also changing from the youthful dark grey to the prominent yellow.
Late 3rd year bald eagle via Nikon d7000 500mm f/4: 1/1250 @ f/5.6 iso200
All of the bald eagles, also known as American Eagle, shown on this page were photo-graphed in my home state of Florida. I've read that a pair of floridian bald eagles is responsible for building the largest nest in North America, measuring six meters deep, four meters wide and weighing nearly three tons. The bald eagle is not actually bald as one can see from the photos. Supposedly, it got its name from “piebald”, which means having irregular spots of two colors, typically black and white. This indeed aptly describes the bald eagle with its dark brown body and white head and tail.
Mature bald eagle portrait via Nikon d7000 500mm f/4: 1/200 @ f/5.6 iso400
The portrait above exhibits a mature bald eagle looking resplendent in his adult plumage. The image is style known as a low-key image which is where the subject contrasts against a dark background. The image to the left show the same mature eagle in full perched on a branch. The eagle's journey is nearly complete, but as seen below there is a calm wisdom in the eye of the elder.
The feathers and beak of the bald eagles are made of a substance known as keratin. Keratin is a fibrous protein which makes up the main structural element of human hair and nails. The eagle’s beak has a hook at the tip with an upper mandible behind it used to help it eat, preen, and feed young.
Mature Bald Eagle perched via Nikon d7000 500mm f/4: 1/200 @ f/4 iso800
An older bald eagle exudes wisdom via Nikon d7000 500mm f/4: 1/200 @ f/5.6 iso400
The experienced bald eagle above exudes wisdom and courage as he sits unfaltering for his portrait. It is an image like this that shows me why this bird is the icon of America.
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The following photography gear was used in this entry. Click the links to view my comments on them or click the images above to order.
My birding camera body of choice is the Nikon d7000.
My first choice in a birding lens is without question the stellar 500mm f/4 by Nikon.
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