March 8, 2013

Where Ya Goin'?


This was another 'I can't believe it' moment with Ozzie and Harriet, the bald eagles in North Ft. Myers. I visited the nest last weekend and it went from being absolutely quiet with nary a winged soul to be found to suddenly bustling with activity. In this shot, Ozzie had arrived a few minutes prior. Harriet was minding her own business up on a higher branch with her back to me and the two eaglets were tucked below in the nest.  With most birds, you can sense when they're getting ready to take flight. They twitch their feet, wobble a bit, ruffle their feathers...give some kind of indication they're about to do something.  But, not the American bald eagle.  Almost always, they catch me off guard because they take off without warning.  Well, this time I was staring through my viewfinder hoping to take a family portrait when Ozzie took off unexpectedly, prompting Harriet to look that way along with one of the eaglets.   I held my breath and pressed the shutter.  **click**  **click**  **click**   What are the odds the eagle family was just as interested in what Ozzie was doing as I was?  (Look closely at the bottom of the pic and you can see one of the eaglets watching Dad take off.)  The little ones were quite active before their parents got home.  More on that this weekend.  In the meantime, I'm linking to Skywatch Friday and I hope everyone has a terrific day!

17 comments:

cieldequimper said...

Well yes, you watch Dad go to work, don't you?! :-)

Andy said...

You better believe it. It's a great shot that takes more than luck.

LOLfromPasa said...

Oh, wow, isn't that fantastic. I just love following this sweet family through your lens. Wonderful!!!!

PerthDailyPhoto said...

Looks fantastic when you click and enlarge SRQ, for such big birds they take off quite swiftly you were so lucky to catch him.

Janet said...

That shot leaves my mind soaring!

Shail said...

Wow, look at the spread out wings! Nice shot.

Lea said...

Wonderful photo!
Have a great day!
Lea
Lea's Menagerie

Laloofah said...

Oh, wow!! Isn't it great when the photo you thought you were going to be taking turns into something even better? Ozzie and Harriet seem to love being the center of your photographic attention!

Lowell said...

So often the best pictures are the result of being in the right place at the right time. But, then photog has to make that happen. And you did and do! This is fantastic.

Love your header, also!

Liz said...

Cool capture! Happy sky watching.

My sky.

SFlaGuy said...

One day I want to drive over and watch you work. I promise to be very very quiet.

LONDONLULU said...

Wow, perfect moment captured! I'd be thrilled if I saw something like this, never mind captured it so well. I love those little ones watching Dad off to work:)

(A sea of basketball orange fans would be quite a sight! And photograph. Hope Michigan does well!)

Kay said...

Wow! You've really been coming up with some photographic gold lately! If you ever have any doubts about the time you spend squinting through your viewfinder, come back and look at some of these shots. They're priceless!

Meghan said...

What an amazing capture! I love following along with this family.

Jack said...

You nailed it, SRQ. Your Harriet and Ozzie pix have been marvelous.

Spare Parts and Pics said...

A magical photo!!

Serline said...

Wonderful shot with this beautiful birds. Have a lovely weekend!