The eagle we see most often around Puget Sound is the Bald Eagle, so-called for its white head feathers. This is a Golden Eagle, which doesn’t look particularly golden, but on a sunny day those brown feathers do shine beautifully.
This was another lucky find, on the same trip as the heron photographs. This eagle was mostly looking down at the water below, scanning (I presume) for fish. The result was good for me; when he looked down and to the left he spotted me and checked me out as you can see above. I thought he might dive, but that didn’t happen during the time I was there.
I was able to get fairly close by climbing a rise near his tree (with about 25 pounds of camera, lens, and tripod!); the shot above was taken at my closest approach. What a delightful find.
Shot with the same equipment: Sony A1, Canon nFD 300mm f/2.8 lens. It is strictly a manual focus lens, and although it’s a challenge to focus, it does make one pay close attention to the subject. A very enjoyable day.