THE MOST MAGNIFICENT BALD EAGLE!

The above shot is of the hacking tower located in Dandridge, TN.  This is where immature eagles are released into the wilds.  The tower is on Douglas Lake and really releases the young bald eagles into an environment that is plentiful in food and habitat. There are a lot of photos that follow.  Look at the ones you wish to but, please don't get bored looking at the symbol of our country.  This guy represents the U.S.A. admirably.  

I got off work today at 1PM and decided to take the Ghenoee to Douglas Lake and do a bald eagle search just to see if any were there yet.   Well - to my surprise, the eagles were there.  There are two adult bald eagles in the shot above.

I was absolutely stunned to find the most magnificent bald eagle I had ever seen in person.   He was stunning!  His demeanor was majestic and he personified an entity that would stand for nothing but truth, justice and the American way.  Seriously - this eagle had an aura about him that shouted "I am what you want to be."  The lake was very rough with high chop on the surface and the Gheenoe was like a cork on the ocean.  The best shutter speed I could get was 1/350th of a second - hardly good enough to eliminate fuzzy pictures.  I took over 450 shots and threw away 150.  I was heart broken to lose every shot that portrayed the eagle launching from the limb, flying and landing.  I just couldn't keep the shake out of the camera.

A look at the camera platform

He was indeed spectacular.  His bearing indicated that he was the dominant being on the lake.

He is dynamic and powerful.  I've never seen an eagle portray his species so proudly.

He is scrutinizing the water's surface.  He misses nothing.  No movement goes unnoticed. 

There are many shots of this great animal but, realize what you are viewing.  You are looking at one of the last vestiges of anything left on this continent that is truly wild.  This bird is representative of what is left of wilderness after humans ravaged the wild places for centuries.  He still prevails as king of all he surveys, after all the endless years of persecution his breed has endured.

He wears a leg tag.  I call it a leg iron.  The number, or part of it reads #143.  There may be more of the number I can't make out but it should be enough for the American Eagle Foundation to identify this eagle with.