Fierce Pair 2 of 2

I was boating in a Louisiana swamp, it had been raining for a while, sort of a meandering soft rain. I hadn't really prepared for the rainy trip: my... more

by Betsy Knapp

Title

Fierce Pair 2 of 2

Artist

Betsy Knapp

Medium

Photograph - Fine Art Photography

Description

I was boating in a Louisiana swamp, it had been raining for a while, sort of a meandering soft rain. I hadn't really prepared for the rainy trip: my jacket was rain resistant, not waterproof, so I was soaked through within a few minutes. I tried to keep my camera from taking on too much water, so I had it tucked under my jacket along with its attached photo lens--needless to say I looked as if I was pregnant with some strange creature. The rain let up just as we were emerging from the densely populated trees and plant life, and we hit the open water, just quietly cruising along, seeing a gator every now and then. The birds were popular--I'd say they popped up pretty consistently. There weren't any other boats out, so the place was vacant of humans. This was nice, and I sat back, happy to take a break from taking pictures. I was rather enjoying the scenery, when, in the distance, I was admiring the huge trees that lined the landscape; I thought I saw an eagle sitting in the very top of one, but no, I wouldn't be that lucky to see one of these extraordinary creatures. We continued to approach the tree, just to satisfy our curiosity that there wasn't an eagle there. Well, it became quite apparent to me that the outline of the for-sure tree branch posing as an eagle wasn't a tree branch at all! In one smooth move, I brought the camera to my eye and started taking pictures. It was just exciting to see an eagle! I wasn't expecting what happened next--there wasn't only one eagle. A few trees over, there was another, perched all proud, scoping us out.

It is never my intention to get so close that I bother wildlife, so we kept our distance. The eagle that I first spotted took a look around, then spread his wings and leaped into the air, heading right towards us. Yep, he wasn't scared of us at all, it sort of seemed as if he was showing off, giving a glance as he passed right above our boat. It looked as if he was saying, "Yeah, I know. I'm awesome." Then the female also launched into the air, following him, and we watched as they flew and disappeared into seemingly nowhere. What a brilliant sight that was! And hearing their wings working in the silence of the swamp--their power, confidence, and determination clearly impacted me--these were a beautiful few moments that I will remember for a long time.

Matching complement title Fierce Pair 1 of 2.

Uploaded

November 6th, 2015