Funny how a simple photograph can bring such joy, but this one does it for me. An eagle being released into the sky, with a smile and widespread arms. Glorious!

The photo comes from Colorado Parks and Wildlife and their program that tracks and hopes to preserve and protect bald eagles along Colorado’s rapidly developing northern Front Range (roughly Denver north to the Wyoming state line).

The eagles are captured and fitted with transmitters powered by small solar panel backpacks:

After release, an individual eagle’s daily travels can be tracked via cell tower pings:

Once almost unknown in Colorado, bald eagles have made a huge comeback since the banning of DDT in 1972:

Long may they soar in our great western skies!

If you prefer videos, CPW’s video tells the full story of this remarkably successful program. And yes, we’ve had two live video cams online in the past, but nature has not been kind. Both nests were in old dead cottonwood trees that collapsed. But I’m hopeful they will be reestablished in the not-too-distant future.