Bald Eagle Close-Ups Near Black Mesa State Park

I didn’t expect another chance for Bald Eagle close-ups near Black Mesa State Park in Oklahoma so soon. A few days after my earlier encounter, an eagle landed on a utility pole near where I had parked.

Preening and Looking Below the Pole

I was back near the prairie dog town when the eagle arrived. My earlier post, a Bald Eagle watching the prairie dog town, covered the encounter that had already surprised me. This visit gave me time to watch an eagle at close range, including a few moments of preening.

One pose especially caught my attention. The eagle bent its head and looked straight down below the pole. It did this several times, and I managed to photograph it.

I couldn’t tell what it was watching. Prairie dogs were moving around nearby, but the eagle didn’t seem to pay much attention to them. I had no way to connect those downward looks to any particular animal.

Bald Eagle Close-Ups in Better Light

I took a few photographs on the first pole before the eagle flew to another one. That short flight gave me a chance to capture it in the air.

The second pole had better light, and the eagle was close! I could photograph the layers of brown feathers across its back and its white head against the blue sky.

That move gave me some of my favorite photographs from the encounter. Along with the flight shots, I came away with close views and photographs of it preening. The repeated downward looks added another pose to the series.

An Hour Without a Hunt

I watched for over an hour, hoping to see whether the eagle would go after a meal. It never did while I watched. Eventually, it flew into the distance and out of sight.

I see plenty of Bald Eagles at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, my main place to photograph wildlife. That doesn’t make an encounter elsewhere any less welcome. Wherever I find one, I won’t pass up the chance to photograph it.