f/5.6 • 1/800/s • 400mm • ISO 400
October 4, 2026
Crown of the Spruce
High in the needle boughs, silent and still,
A monarch surveying the sweep of the hill.
Fierce amber eyes scanning shadow and lawn,
A sudden wild visitor, perched and then gone.
Field Notes: I was out working in the carriage house when an unfamiliar bird call broke through the quiet—not the cinematic red-tailed hawk screech movies always fake for eagles, but a sharp, high-pitched chitter.
I opened the Merlin Bird ID app, and sure enough, it flagged a mature Bald Eagle right above me. Scanning the upper branches, there he was: regal and composed, perched near the very crown of the Norway spruce, coolly taking stock of the neighborhood.
Needless to say, my priority was shuttling the pup safely inside the house before grabbing the camera and long lens!