American Bald Eagle Pictures
(Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

On the San Juan Islands, bald eagles are pretty common to observe in their native habitat. We currently have two pairs of these large, majestic bald eagles that are nesting in trees near our house; each spring, they lay eggs and we often see the eaglets later in the summer or in following years as they mature. American bald eagles can have up to a 7-foot wingspan as adults. The Latin name (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) for these birds stands for 'white-headed sea eagle'. These eagles primarily eat fish but will also eat smaller birds, crabs, small mammals like mice and rabbits, and carrion -- they will even steal food from ospreys and other birds!

Gallery - American Bald Eagle Pictures
Bald Eagle Circling	Painting The Sky	Bald Eagle Sequence	Bald Eagle, on Takeoff
Bald Eagle Profile	Bald Eagle on Pile Point	Juvenile Eagle in Tree	Bald Eagle Overhead
Bald Eagle Landing	Bald Eagle on the Rock	Juvenile Bald Eagle	Visit our page of archival photos
Click on the picture or the caption to see a larger version of the picture. Our bald eagle pics have all been taken in the wild -- that is, no zoo pictures here! I started taking these pictures in 2001 with our first digital camera - the photo titled Bald Eagle on Pile Point is actually the very first picture that I took with my first digital camera. As time has passed and some of my photographs have improved, I have moved some of my older but still good pictures, including photos of the eagle nests, to an archive page. As of today, I think my best bald eagle photograph is the one titled Bald Eagle on the Rock -- the sharpness, the colors, the composition, the background all lead me to be believe that this is a remarkable picture.

The following books are pretty good sources of additional information on the American bald eagle -- several have the benefit of being focused on the San Juan Islands or the Pacific Northwest. The Audubon Society Field Guide to the Bald Eagle by David G. Gordon, Audubon Society The Bald Eagle Returns by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent and William Munoz (Illustrator) Birding in the San Juan Islands by Mark Lewis, Fred Sharpe (Illustrator) Birds of the Pacific Northwest Coast by Nancy Baron Birds of the Pacific Northwest Mountains: The Cascade Range, the Olympic Mountains, Vancouver Island, and the Coast Mountains by Jan L. Wassink Eye of the Eagle: The Outdoor Photography of Don Wooldridge by Bill Nunn Orcas, Eagles & Kings: Georgia Strait & Puget Sound by Steve Yates Photographing Wild Birds by Chris Gomersall Raptors: Birds of Prey by John Hendrickson Soaring with the Wind: The Bald Eagle by Gail Gibbons Audubon's Animal Adventures: Eagle (VHS)

These next two eagle photography books are out of print. Fortunately, they are often available from various used book sources on the Internet such as Powell's Books, Alibris or Amazon.com marketplace.  Bald Eagles: Their Life and Behavior in North America by Art Wolfe (Photographer) and Donald Bruning Check availability at Amazon.com or Powell's Books or Alibris The American Eagle: A Photographic Portrait by John Pezzenti Check availability at Amazon.com or Powell's Books or Alibris

For other information on bald eagles, including more photographs online, check out these web sites: American Bald Eagle Information American Bald Eagle Foundation TheRagens List of Wildlife Photo Links eWildlife.com "Top of the Net" Bald Eagle Pages