17th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest People
Lord of the Birds and Father Sky

A golden eagle takes flight, launching itself from the arm of a Kazakh eagle hunter. In Kazakh, the hunters are sometimes called ‘kusbeki,’ which directly translates to 'Lord of the Bird.' Seated on a throne of mountains, it is hard not to be in awe of these ‘Lords’ with nothing above them except Tenger (Mongolians’ name for ‘Father Sky’).

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 10.2019
Date Uploaded: 11.2019
Photo Location: Tolbo, Mongolia
Camera: ILCE-7M2
Copyright: © John Dwyer