This is the time of year when I frequently visit the Eleven Mile Fishing Report to check the status of the ice cover. Upon discovering that the reservoir is completely frozen over, I decided to make an early morning visit to investigate the bald eagle nesting pair’s return to their winter home in the canyon.
As always, a quick check at the nest at the entrance to the canyon was in order, but on this day neither of the nesting pair was at the nest. Sometimes this time of year they can be seen sprucing up the nest for the upcoming breeding season.
We were a bit discouraged when a full trip up and down the canyon yielded no wildlife sightings, but one thing we have learned is that the eagles are on their own schedule. Sometimes they arrive early, and sometimes they might decide not to show up until afternoon.
But on the way back downstream the second time, I spotted this beautiful juvenile bald eagle perched high above the canyon on a dead tree branch. He was a bit jumpy though, so it was difficult to get a good capture of him before he flew away each time we stopped.
While all this was going on, we spotted an adult bald eagle perched in the trees along the South Platte River. He stuck a round a few minutes for a nice portrait before flying upstream toward the big dam and reservoir. We turned around and followed, hoping to find him on one of the picturesque old gnarly trees that they sometimes fish from. However it appeared that he had not stopped anywhere in the canyon, so we turned around to call it a day. By then it was getting pretty bright out anyway, and you can see from this portrait how bright the eagle’s head is. This capture required a -2 exposure compensation to keep from blowing out the highlights on the bright white feathers.
Circle of Life
On the way out of the canyon we spotted another adult eagle flying upstream as well, which we assume to be the second of our nesting pair. This of course is reason for hope that this year will be another successful breeding season for our long time residents that we have been watching for many years. Here are a few more of my favorites from this day of photography!
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Steven W. Krull is a renowned photographer and author who has been photographing and writing of the beauty and wildlife of the Colorado Rocky Mountains for over two decades. Please visit his website at S.W. Krull Imaging to view his work, including thousands of prints for sale, stock images for commercial use, and his library of published books.
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Colorado Photographer / Author / Wildlife Advocate | Steven W. Krull 