Local Resident Photographs Bald Eagles in Arlington

Arlington is - beyond a doubt - an urban community. It's home to skyscrapers, bustling metro stations, thousands of residents stacked on top of each other – and, believe it or not, a family of American Bald Eagles.

Michael Nugent, a Arlington retiree and an avid photographer, spotted one as he was driving over the Key Bridge into D.C. in January.

“I saw an eagle with a branch in its talon and it was heading towards Arlington. I thought that was unusual,” Nugent said. “I began to figure out if there was a way I could get a decent photograph.”

With some help from his son, who confirmed there was an eagle’s nest in North Arlington near the Potomac River, Nugent set out with his Nikon F3 and a 400 mm lens.

“At first, I didn’t go with my most powerful lens and I didn’t get much. It’s a learning experience,” he said. “I spent two weeks getting that image. Every day that was a decent day, I went out. I finally got a good one.”

On Saturday, Nugent presented the Arlington County Board with an enlarged framed copy of a female Bald Eagle landing at the nest with more nesting material.

“Sometimes I wouldn’t get any shots in a day. Sometimes I would get a couple, but they wouldn’t be that good,” he said. “They would circle over and look at me before they’d land. I was interesting to be a part of their lives for a short period of time.”

Nugent’s story doesn’t end entirely happy, though. Not only did he contract the worst case of poison ivy he ever experienced - his face was so swollen, he said, his eye was almost swollen shut, but he also discovered that an eagle who had previously occupied the same nest had been shot in the wing with an arrow. She was euthanized at a local wild animal hospital.

“Whoever would shoot an eagle with an arrow…they’re demented,” Nugent said.

The nest probably contained two eggs while he was shooting the pictures, Nugent said. The chicks may have hatched by now. He has chosen not to disclose the exact location of the eagles' nest in order to protect the birds.

The American Bald Eagle - our national bird - was formerly an endangered species. According to the National Wildlife Federation, they were de-listed after successful breeding programs replenished the population.

Editor's Note: The story has been corrected to reflect the following: The female eagle that Nugent photographed is unharmed. She was not shot in the wing by an arrow, as we reported on Tuesday. The wounded eagle was a previous occupant of the nest.