The Bald Spirit

Bald Eagle Nest | Front Range, Colorado
As a fine art landscape photographer and someone who deeply appreciates nature this image is especially dear to me. Yes, the Colorado skies are absolutely stunning but the bald eagle nest is what makes it more special. Not because bald eagles’ nests are too hard to find in Colorado, but because of the story behind this one.

I captured this bald eagle nest on an April evening in 2014. It was an actively occupied nest, but the eagles were not there when I took the picture. About a year later a permit was issued for the tree to be cut down, and it was cut down. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service describes the regulations around bald eagles and their nest removal, as apparently there is a legal way to do it. Learning about this fact did make me sad. On the other hand, I was thankful for the opportunity to capture this fascinating moment.

Although the eagles were not there when I captured their nest, I had seen them on a previous occasion. The sunset was not a typical one that evening because it set behind clouds and was never seen. However, the radiant light was reflected in the evening clouds after it dipped below the horizon. The result was an impressive explosion of diffused light which warmed the entire sky above me. Colorado’s last light did not disappoint as it cast a dramatic backdrop.

In the early 1970’s there were only about 10 bald eagle nesting couples in Colorado. Since a US ban on the pesticide DDT was issued in 1972 the number of bald eagle nests in Colorado has drastically increased. Although I have not been able to find consistent statistics on the total number of occupied nests, various sources cited between 100 – 200 for Colorado. Bald eagles nests can even be spotted in Washington Park, which is only about 10 minutes from downtown Denver, Colorado. This is pretty astonishing! In addition, large numbers of bald eagles migrate through Colorado roughly between October and March every year.