American Bald Eagle juvenile

I've recently heard about a good number of Eagle sighting in the Waterford area along Flightlock Road running beside the canal.

 

After work this morning I took a few minutes drive to investigate, but I didn't even get a thousand yards past the start of visible canal water on Fonda Road before I spotted this juvenile in a tree a few minutes before 6 AM. Making a quick turn around I parked about a thousand yards off. Slowly walking over to the tree with the tripod, camera, and remote trigger. No hiding from him, there never is, but he seemed OK with me there as I make no sudden or quick movements and little noise as possible to annoy the birds. If I had to guesstimate this Eagle was a distance from me of at least 60 feet(?) probably no more than 80. It and the broken tree branch it sat on were set back behind leaves and branches in the foreground forcing me to frame it tight. Attempting to move me, tripod, and the camera would most likely spook the bird so tried my best to set up where I could make the shot work.

 

As with most hawks & eagles, I come across in the early morning along the Hudson and Mohawk they seem to like facing the sunrise. Great news for taking photos once the actual sun begins to rise up casting a warm light on to the front of the bird. He put up with me shooting for a good 45 minutes while I watched and waited for him to turn his head certain ways while the sun rose higher and higher until at a few minutes to 7 it was time to go home pretty confident I had some keepers on my cards.

 

I could watch these birds all day long every day. Always exciting for me.

 

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Done