Perched Bald Eagle

Here's someone I met last October that ought to be familiar to almost everyone, a Bald Eagle. This is also perhaps the closest I've been to a wild Bald Eagle [1] (though this pair was also fairly close). While I didn't consider myself especially close, the eagle did fly off after a few minutes; it's possible my presence instigated the departure [2].

This eagle was near water, and thus near fish. Behind the eagle was Duke Farms' Vista Lake, where herons, cormorants, and Ospreys get their fish procurement done. Still, I don't often see Bald Eagles on the property; my guess is they prefer fishing in the Raritan River instead.

Duke Farms has Bald Eagles that nest on the property; I don't know if this was either of them. 

November 2, 2022 at Duke Farms
Photo 250356447, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

[1] You can certainly get closer to them at The Raptor Trust, and the Delaware Valley Raptor Center used to give presentations where eagles would be in the room with you.

[2] I would have needed to machete my way through brush (possible) and then climb the tree (highly improbable) to confront the eagle. The eagle almost certainly overestimated my threat potential.

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