Heartbeat on Wing
Floating on the river, tree-lined
stream, really, far shore just sixty feet away,
as bald eagle, far upstream, leaves its perch.
Each wing beat bringing it closer, regal profile
passing within fifty feet. Its graceful exit
over, held as a lasting impression.
The image, above, is the crop of a frame of video taken on the Moreau River, Missouri, October 4, 2019. My kayak was resting on an underwater ledge, immediately to the left of the angled rock (photo below). I was stable and partially shielded from view, but framing and focus at full zoom were hard to maintain, especially as I panned to track its approach and passing. The angled rock likely is broken from a nearby overhanging ledge that has numerous rocks lying in the water below. (These images also are cropped from frames of the same video.)
rivrvlogr 
Have never seen one alive before. What a great experience for you. Thank you for sharing the pictures.
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Thank you, Lisa.
Yes, check this one out – an eagle that landed on the water, thirty feet away, and dragged its fish to the shore. Then it flew to a tree branch right overhead, to air out its wings:
https://rivrvlogr.com/2016/09/30/rapt/
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Amazing photo, Ken!
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Thanks, Betty! 🙂
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Your antennae must always be up when you’re on the river … you get some amazing opportunities … and amazing photos. Love the jutting rock shots.
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Thanks, Jazz.
I’m too cautious (most of the time) to take my DSLR on the kayak, and the camera I use has nearly a 1 second delay between burst shots – I should be happy that’s all I have to complain about! – so, although the frame is smaller, I was happy I could grab one from a video. (Each month I shoot a video to share with family on Facebook, and, this time, the eagle approached while I was talking to the camera.)
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Good Timing!
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Magnificent! You’ve learned how to merge with where you are. (K)
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Wonderful, Ken! That would leave a lasting impression on my, too. I went back to look at the link you gave above, too.
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