S.P.Q.R.

Senatus Populusque Romanus (The Senate and the People of Rome). This was, as I had learned in school, emblazoned on the standards of the Roman legions together with an Eagle in a pose similar to this one. I did think, as a kid, that this was a pretty strange pose for an Eagle.

Last year, I was monitoring an Eagle's nest and one day this juvenile Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) had left the nest and was perched on top of a tree in the typical, upright pose. Then a jet ski came downriver and there was a dog barking somewhere upstream. This was too much. The Eagle adopted the S.P.Q.R. pose for a short moment and flew away. So, the Romans knew: this is an alert Eagle ready to get airborne.

The weather was deteriorating quickly and I still had to hike out, but I did get a few more shots.

Note that the beak looks not quite right. It appears that there is something (food?) caught in there.

I have tentatively indentified this bird as a male based on the eye socket/beak hinge spatial relationship. Is this correct?

Canon 7D, Sigma 150-500 mm at 370 mm (I forgot to extend!), ISO 1600 (fumbled this one), 1/1000 sec at f/11, HH, RAW cropped to 51 %, PP in LR3.

All C & Cs are much appreciated. Thanks for viewing. Roger.