Abstract birds aren’t everyone’s cup of coffee. Plus, a lot of pleasure can be derived from viewing precise bird details, since these details aren’t usually discernible with the unassisted eye, and can’t easily be studied, even with binoculars. For eons, humans have admired birds for their freedom, their power of flight, and their aesthetic shapes. But it is difficult or impossible to get close enough to the average perched bird to study it closely, and you might not want to get too close to the average bald eagle, given the size and strength of its talons and bill. Close study of birds in flight is even harder. 

It is only within the last 180 years, thanks largely to photography, that close, detailed study of birds, especially birds in flight, is possible. The images in this post contain ample detail, starting with some eagles.  A few of the eagle photos were previously posted, but most were not. Most of these were taken at exposures of 1/3200th of a second, a few at 1/2500th, and a few at 1/4000th; all were taken at much, much faster shutter speeds than any of the abstract bird photos most recently posted.

Regarding sharpness and shutter speeds, it’s not just that birds in flight are moving along smartly: birds simply do not hold still, especially little birds, even when perched. There are constant micro-movements, apart from abrupt turns or twitches. Even perched eagles are likely to move unpredictably just enough to make a photo less than sharp. And getting sharp photos with long lenses and modern sensors (which can be unforgiving in revealing any motion of subject or photographer) is harder than it might seem.

All that said, here we go.

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Above: The crow is holding an eagle feather in its bill.
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Above: An eagle watches for crows. 0M0A4605

Above: seeming turnabout, but the eagle is not actually attacking the alarmed crow.

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A few more to come.