Today, while much of the rest of the United States was under various weather advisories, we had sun. It was cold, but the wind of the past few days has blasted off toward the east coast. Nineteen degrees farhrenheit (-7.22 C) and blue skies just begged for a photography adventure.
And I knew just the place.

Not far from me is a National Cemetary; I’ve taken you there before. But lately I’ve been hearing about an eagle hanging around the acres and acres of gleaming white headstones. I’ve been out there a couple times hoping to find him, but couldn’t find the nest and never saw the magnificent bird.
Since it’s so close to home, and it was a pretty day, I figured I wouldn’t be disappointed if I failed again. And you know me, I’ll always find something to take a picture of!

Right near the entrance I saw a bird in the top of a dead tree. Could that be the eagle? Naw…just a big crow.
Then toward the back of the cemetary I saw a bunch of blobs high up in the trees, could those be eagles? Naw..just some clumps of leaves, maybe squirrel nests.
I wandered around some more, but saw nothing else that looked promising. Still, I wasn’t sad, it was such a pretty day…

…and the moon was setting. I always enjoy a late setting moon.

And then, just as I gave up and turned the car around to go, I saw this out of the corner of my eye. Could it be?

I put that car in park fast and was out of it, moving as quickly as I could across the lawn, then creeping into the woods. I had to pass two signs that warned me not to trespass, hoping to get a shot before someone arrested me.

And I did. But the eagle knew exactly where I was too, walking on all that crunchy snow I sounded like a herd of elephants making my way through the woods. I only got a couple shots before he took off.
He flew in a big wide circle, and then vanished into the trees.

I didn’t have any stellar shots…but I got to see an eagle fly.

On the way home I took a different back road, and realized almost right away that it wound along the back of the cemetary. And guess what?

There’s a much better view of the eagle’s nest from back there!
And on the way I got to see a barn.

When I got home I was still excited about seeing the eagle and having such a good time with the camera on such a pretty day. And I’ve heard there’s an eagle out at Kensington, my favorite park.
That’s not so far away either. The sun is still shining.

Should I head out there? What are the odds that I’ll find an eagle just sitting around waiting for me to discover him?
What are the odds?
Guess you’ll have to wait and see.

January 21, 2022 at 9:58 pm
I always love how you sneak a barn in each time.
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January 23, 2022 at 12:44 pm
I always love when I find a barn while I’m off doing something else.
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January 21, 2022 at 11:13 pm
I’ll be waiting! And “Moon over Michigan” has such a lovely sound.
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January 23, 2022 at 12:44 pm
It IS lovely! I’m feeling nostolgic for camping in the moonlight, even though the moon messes with night photography.
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January 21, 2022 at 11:16 pm
The odds are good since you live right and deserve all the breaks, and because your eyes are getting well trained.
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January 23, 2022 at 12:44 pm
Well…I’m still looking for that snowy…
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January 21, 2022 at 11:17 pm
You always find the best things to photograph! I think that eagle was saying, “Watch me fly, lady!” Look at that beautiful wingspan. Ya done good, Dawn!
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January 23, 2022 at 12:45 pm
The wingspan IS amazing!
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January 22, 2022 at 4:20 am
I actually like the first image of the eagle. There is a lot of story in it. Including the nest and having to shoot through the trees made for a very interesting image. And of course, there is a barn! 🙂
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January 23, 2022 at 12:45 pm
That’s a good point. I wanted that first image if for nothing other than to prove I found him. I figured by the time I clomped through the woods to get a clear shot he’d be long gone. And you can’t miss with barns, I always say.
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January 22, 2022 at 7:25 am
Nice narrative!
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January 23, 2022 at 12:46 pm
Thank you!
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January 22, 2022 at 9:15 am
I can’t get enough of all raptors but the eagle takes my breath away – when I see one, I can’t take my eyes off it – and lliving within five miles or so of The Susquehanna River, they have a nice food source – AND The Hanover Eagle cam and FB group is INCREDIBLE for seeing them – and the ongoing battle with A GHO that wants their nest – well Freedom and Liberty won’t let THAT happen!
Thanks for sharing
Willow’s Mom / aka Phyll
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January 23, 2022 at 12:47 pm
Great Horned Owl? I need to come back to your part of the country. I thought it was so pretty when I was there last June, and I didn’t have time to stay and poke around.
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January 22, 2022 at 11:57 am
So great that your efforts were rewarded! There’s a couple of people that post pictures frequently on a local Facebook group that get pictures of the eagles over the Columbia River quite often. But I gotta tell you, blue skies or not 19 degree weather does not encourage me to head outside. Yep, I’m a wimp.
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January 23, 2022 at 12:47 pm
Sunshine makes all the difference to me. When I lived in the UP 14 and sunny with no wind was perfect. Of course I was much younger then.
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January 23, 2022 at 1:06 pm
Sunshine makes a big difference, but the older I get, the more moderate I want the temperature.
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January 22, 2022 at 1:46 pm
Looks like a great day, there must not have been a whole lot of snow ! That was a nice warm day!! Lovely photos!
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January 23, 2022 at 12:48 pm
No we don’t have much snow, and it’s been snowing almost every day since I was out there. We just got another inch or so, nothing like what you guys get!
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January 22, 2022 at 2:23 pm
Eagles are so difficult to catch. You did good. 🙂
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January 23, 2022 at 12:49 pm
They sure can hear and see me long before I find them! When I was out at the nature preserve several weeks ago I was trying to “SNEAK” up on a couple eagles in a tree far out in the water. I wouldn’t have been able to get all that close, but was trying to get somewhat closer. No dice, they took off and left me there.
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January 23, 2022 at 2:33 pm
Sounds about right. I don’t know how some of the nature photographers get such great shots of them. Actually, one I used to follow would leave fish and meat out for them. He was in Alaska and I’m guessing there were plenty of eagles in his vicinity that made it worth doing such things.
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January 22, 2022 at 3:10 pm
So glad you finally got to see the eagle. It’s always a joy to spot them, and an added bonus if you get a picture. Have you ever heard that the local natives say not to point your finger at them–it’s bad luck? I’m not sure I agree, especially if there’s love and happiness in our heart when we spot them.
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January 23, 2022 at 12:49 pm
I have not heard of that local saying about fingers. I get the feeling they don’t like ANYTHING pointed at them, especially cameras!
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January 22, 2022 at 4:00 pm
Wow, always nice to see an eagle fly. I used to see them a lot when I lived in northern British Columbia.
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January 23, 2022 at 12:50 pm
We NEVER used to see them down here, not in my lifetime, but in the past couple years we’re seeing them more and more often. A tribute, I guess to us humans trying to clean up the water and land.
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January 23, 2022 at 10:50 am
Beautiful photos. I like the color composition on the barn one. We don’t have eagles around here, so most fascinating to see your photos.
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January 23, 2022 at 12:50 pm
I’m still hoping to get that quintessential eagle image….but meanwhile the thrill of the hunt is fun.
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January 23, 2022 at 11:14 am
Such a beautiful post and the best photos as always including the barn! I’m so happy you spotted the eagle and at least got a few shots of him flying! Beautiful National cemetery too. Thank you for sharing! ❤️
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January 23, 2022 at 12:51 pm
It’s a very beautiful place, with or without eagle pictures, for sure. But finding him was really fun.
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January 23, 2022 at 2:20 pm
Aw,he’s such a beauty!! So happy you found him and got his photo. I’ve never seen a real eagle before, so it’s kind of nice knowing they’re not that terribly far away from me — and one day, maybe I’ll get to see one, too!
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January 23, 2022 at 5:54 pm
Well, they do seem to be moving south.
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January 23, 2022 at 5:18 pm
Yay, congratulations, Dawn! Your pics are great and I can tell you it is worth the hardships and the trek into the area and braving any kind of weather to shoot eagles with our lenses!
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January 23, 2022 at 5:54 pm
It definitely is worth it! Also glad I didn’t get arrested!
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January 24, 2022 at 12:37 am
Cool, very cool. 🙂
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