Bald Eagle – National Symbol of the United States of America
Since 1782, the Bald Eagle has been the national symbol of the United States of America (as if you didn’t know).
This is an image of an immature bald eagle with its mouth open wide in anticipation of being fed. When fully mature, about 5 years old, the head feathers become completely white, and when viewed from a distance give the eagle its “bald” appearance.
More information at http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/birds/bald-eagles.asp
jimreidphoto 
Wow, Jim. He’s awesome. Such depth in the colors and textures. I feel like I can reach out and touch him. What a wonderful image!
With his mouth open and “full of emotion”, he could be one of the politicians running in the election. 😉
March 18, 2012 at 4:34 am
Thanks Judy. He was only about 6ft away from me.
March 20, 2012 at 10:02 am
Ok so I wasn’t expecting this when I saw the title of the post. I was expecting the usual bald eagle shot either high in a tree or soaring on the sky. Fantastic capture. Just love it.
March 16, 2012 at 4:26 pm
Thanks for your praise Edith; glad you liked it. I do like to create emotionally charged images. The bird does have a “angry” expression, I think.
March 16, 2012 at 5:52 pm
I really like how you can see so much detail in the feathers.. really awesome!
March 16, 2012 at 3:58 pm
Many thanks for your comments. If this was a fully mature eagle and the head feathers were all white, there maybe less visible detail.
March 16, 2012 at 5:57 pm