Watching a bald eagle is good for the soul

The other day I headed to the Millstone River Impoundment in Princeton to see what I could see. This would turn out to be a visit of quality over quantity. The scores of common mergansers that had flocked here a few days before had flown off, and only a few gulls and Canada geese were above or on Lake Carnegie.

After a short walk, I turned back and sauntered across one of the wooden pedestrian bridges at the park. While passing a fisherman on the bridge, I looked up and spotted a mature bald eagle circling overhead.

I’ve often seen eagles at the lake, usually for only a few fleeting moments. Today, however, this single eagle was circling over the lake in the strong breezes, and I watched it for a good 20 minutes or more.

Most of the time, the bird was too high up or too far off for me to bother with raising my camera. At one point, the eagle was landing on a tree across the lake, and I snapped a few hurried shots. Keeping my eye on the bird, I walked quickly up the trail to set myself directly across from it.

The eagle took off and headed back the way I’d come, briefly going out of sight. Not pressed for time, I sat on a lakeside bench and waited a bit. A few minutes later, the eagle flew back toward me and beyond, eventually parking in another tree across the lake.

After a short rest, the bird flew off out of sight, and I headed back to my car in the hopes that at least some of the frames I was able to shoot were sharp.

Although it’s not super crisp, my favorite shot from the outing was the one topping this post. I’m still waiting for an opportunity for an eagle facing the sun to swoop close to me for a killer shot, but that would be a bonus.

Just getting to observe that magnificent bird for several delightful minutes was a treat that made my day. 🦅