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Dark clouds behind and a spot of sunshine illuminate this mature pair of bald eagles near their nest in Ferrisburg, Vermont.

Bald eagles have made a dramatic recovery in Vermont over the past two decades. Here’s a discussion from the Audubon Vermont website:

“…15 Standard Survey Routes (SSR) were covered for the 2015 winter survey.  A record fifty-one Bald Eagles (30 adult 20 immature, and 1 unknown age) were observed by designated observers on Vermont’s SSRs in 2015. This number is well above the record of 30 eagles reported in 2010.  Bald Eagles were located on  of the 14 SSRs surveyed including three routes along Lake Champlain, two along the Connecticut River, on the upper Winooski River, and on Lake Bomoseen. 2015 was the first year that an eagle was seen on the upper Winooski River route. The area between the Champlain Bridge and Shelburne Point on Lake Champlain supported the largest concentration of Bald Eagles (16 adults, 11 immatures) in the state. The overall numbers are well above totals of full surveys in recent years.”

Panasonic GX8, Lumix 100-300mm lens @ 300mm, ISO 400, f/11, 1/320″ exposure.