Tag: eagle

Golden Eagle – Some Progress On A Nemesis

Anyone who follows this blog knows that I have a penchant for raptors and over the last 6 years of photographing them I can count on one hand the number of good opportunities I’ve had with Golden Eagles.  I had another chance at one yesterday on Antelope Island.  I almost didn’t spot this bird because it was hunkered down so far in the sagebrush (here it is standing more erect in anticipation of flight).     1/1600, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc I knew that my only chance for a few decent images would be at take-off or just after but the angle of light was a problem – the bird was facing almost directly into the sun.  If it veered to its right I’d get butt shots and probably lose the head behind the wings.  If it turned to its left the face would be in shadow and I’d get no catch light.  What can you do but wait, be ready for lift-off and hope for the best from a less than ideal situation?        1/1250, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc  Thankfully the eagle launched straight ahead which gave me the best light I could hope for under the circumstances.       1/1250, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc   For the first wing-beat I got light on the head and a catch light in two images – then the bird turned slightly toward me and that light was lost.  I got several more sharp shots with dynamic flight poses but the face was completely shaded.  Curses !!! I…

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Farmington Bay Bald Eagles 2012 – A Bust!

Farmington Bay Wildlife Management Area is typically a mecca for birders and bird photographers during January and February.  When it gets very cold many of Utah’s wintering Bald Eagles congregate there and create quite the spectacle for avian enthusiasts.  Though I’m not particularly fond of photographing birds among throngs of people I usually can’t resist the unusual opportunity with these magnificent birds and join in the fray multiple times during the “season”.          1/1250, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc One thing that especially appeals to me about Farmington Bay is the opportunity to photograph these eagles in flight with the Wasatch Mountains as a background.  Even though such a background makes it much more difficult for focus to “lock on” the bird I really like the dramatic backdrop the dark, often shaded mountains provide when there’s light on the eagle – much more appealing for me than the typical blue sky background.        Typically there are hundreds of eagles at the refuge during “prime time”.   I once counted 225 birds and that’s just the ones I could see.  Others have reported from 300-400 birds.  This photo should give you some idea, though it shows just one small portion of Unit One.  The concentration of birds was about the same that day everywhere you looked over the ice.        This is the famous “eagle tree”.  I’ve seen as many as 20 birds on this one perch alone.  Of course the eagles prefer to look south over the ice and water so it’s difficult…

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Award Winning Image

Maybe it’s a little tacky of me to toot my own horn but I figured that some of my readers might be interested in this and wouldn’t find out any other way. Yesterday Nature Photographers Network announced the 2011 winners of their annual Editor’s Pick Awards and one of my images won first place in the Avian category.   I’ll provide several links below for those who may be interested in seeing my winning photograph and those of the other winners.  For those who are unfamiliar with Nature Photographers Network (NPN) it is primarily a nature photography critique site which will explain the critiques below the photos.  My image.  Be sure to click the “view larger photo” option to see the photo in much better detail.  The front page of the NPN Online Magazine, which includes a slide show presentation of the First Place winning images in each of the 9 different categories.  Be sure to check them out (hold your cursor over the image to temporarily stop the slide show) as there are some wonderful nature photographs in the presentation. The first, second and third place winning images in each of the nine categories, including the critiques given on each photograph. Ron

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Just A Shot That I Like… #11, Bald Eagle In A Dramatic Flight Posture

It’s getting to be that time of year again – Bald Eagle time in Utah!  As is typical for this season their numbers in the state are increasing every day.  Eagle populations in Utah peak in January and February before many of them start heading north again.     1/1000, f/8, ISO 500, 500 f/4 Though it appears as if this bird was about to snag a fish from the water surface in reality it was simply coming in for a landing on the shore, just out of frame to the lower right.  I like the light on the eagle and the overall flight posture. I’m looking forward to freezing my butt off again this winter while photographing these very impressive birds.  Ron

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Bald Eagles at Farmington Bay

I paid another visit to Farmington yesterday and while I got some nice shots of a few other species I was reminded of the Bald Eagles that were winter residents out there just a few short months ago.  I miss them.  So when it turned overcast this morning and I couldn’t go out photographing birds I decided to revisit some of the eagle images I got at Farmington three months ago.   Canon 7D, 1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc This carp may have been an easy catch for the eagle because the water was quite shallow and the fish was likely stunned (though it did appear to still be alive) by the rotenone used to control these fish at the refuge.      Canon 7D, 1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc Both of these images of the eagle with the  fish were difficult exposures with the white head facing toward the sun but I liked the action and the good look at the carp.      Canon 7D, 1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc This is one of my better exposures on both the white head and the very dark body and wing plumage in the species.  Early morning light certainly helped with that exposure.      Canon 7D, 1/1250, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc I like the unusual head turn from this juvenile bird and the Wasatch Mountain background.      Canon 7D, 1/4000, f/6.3, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc (wish I’d had lower ISO in this image…

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The Bald Eagle and the Fish Hook

  Last week while looking for Golden Eagles to photograph in the Promontory area at the north end of the Great Salt Lake we came across a group of adult and juvenile Bald Eagles feeding on a sheep carcass.  The light angle was bad for photography but we couldn’t resist taking a few shots anyway.    Bald Eagle with fish hook in bill We were quite close to one adult and when it flew off I instinctively fired off a few shots, despite the poor light.  When I got home and looked carefully at those images I could clearly see this gold fish hook embedded in the base of the eagle’s bill.  This bird was apparently feeding normally and I suspect that the hook will not cause it significant problems while it’s in Utah for the winter feeding on carrion.  However I am concerned that, because of the position of the hook in front of the eyes, the hook will interfere with effective forward vision for fishing after it heads north in March.  I hope it falls out or rusts off before that although I’m not sure if “gold” fish hooks rust at all. An internet search shows that fish hooks are an ongoing problem for both Bald Eagles and Ospreys.  Ron

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Bald Eagles in Utah

Every winter hundreds of Bald Eagles migrate south from Canada and Alaska and winter in Utah.  They do so because of our relatively mild winters and they are able to find sufficient food here.  Typically they begin arriving in November and leave in March when the ice begins to melt.  They can be found in many areas of the state but a large percentage of them winter on the wetlands surrounding the Great Salt Lake where there are a number of bird refuges and other suitable areas to accommodate them.  Adult Bald Eagle in flight Each year I spend many hours at some of the Great Salt Lake wetlands photographing eagles.  What attracts them to some of the refuges is fish – lots of fish,  especially carp.  Carp are a nuissance for wildlife managers because they root in the mud of the shallow impoundments which makes the water cloudy and unable to transmit light to the bottom.  This disrupts the healthy growth of desirable plant species needed by birds so some refuges “poison” the carp, usually in mid-winter, with rotenone – a non-toxic chemical that forms a film on fish gills preventing oxygen transfer from the water to the blood which kills the carp.  Then it’s feast time for the eagles. Bald Eagles and gulls on the ice It’s common to see several hundred Bald Eagles from one spot.  One refuge counted 408 eagles.   I’ve personally seen 150 – 200 birds on several occasions. Immature Bald Eagle with carp This is why they’re here – fish!  Specifically, carp.  Lots of carp…

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