![]() ![]() By now the bill is a solid yellow and does not show the dark tip at all of the younger stages. The eyes are much paler than they are when they are just yearlings. The four year old bald eagle above looks more like an adult, the head is nearly white with some paler brown feathers intermingling with the white. Perched four year old Bald Eagle – Nikon D200, f6.3, 1/640, ISO 200, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 320mm, natural light, not baited As adults though you also have to be concerned about the high contrasts of darks and whites and not blowing out the whites. I’ve found bald eagles to be a challenge to expose correctly at all ages, when young you need enough exposure to bring out the details in the dark feathers. The bill will show more yellow and the darkness at the tip is growing lighter. They have a dark eye stripe and the eyes are paler. The top of the head is lighter than a three year old’s is and there is some white developing under the chin and on the neck. ![]() Three year old Bald Eagle in flight – Nikon D200, f6.3, 1/500, ISO 400, +1.0 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baitedĪ three year old bald eagle has some white on the chest, the underside of the wings are developing more dark brown feathers. ![]() I’ve heard that a lot of bird photographers prefer to photograph only adults bald eagles because of their well known plumage but I find that I enjoy photographing all of the various plumage’s because they are after all, the various cycles of an eagle’s life. The top of the head is a more golden brown than a one year old eagle exhibits and the eyes are a lighter shade of brown. Two year old Bald Eagle in flight – Nikon D200, f6.3, 1/1250, ISO 400, +1.0 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baitedĪ two year old bald eagle has some white mottling on the chest, there is more yellow developing on the bill and the underside of the wings show extensive white feathers. The circumstances when I photographed this eagle were pretty remarkable and I hope to do a post on it later. The eyes are a dark brown and the bill is dark with some yellow. A one year old eagle will show some white on the underside of the wings in the axillaries and coverts. The bald eagle above is one year old and is a dark brown over all, the chest and back are a bit lighter. Bald Eagles take about 5.5 years to mature to the typical white head and tail and solidly dark chocolate brown body, legs and wing feathers of an adult. Over the past week or so I have been photographing quite a few wintering Bald Eagles of various ages, from one year old to adults, and I decided to write about the different growth stages seen in their plumage. One year old Bald Eagle juvenile – Nikon D200, full frame, f/10, 1/250, ISO 400, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 280mm, natural light, not baited ![]()
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