Yesterday I was surprised to realize I’d never published this photo before. I’ve posted other images of this bird but I left this one out, probably because of the horizontal position of the right wing. Another look showed me that I like this one too.
First some background that old-timers on Feathered Photography may already know from a previous post:
- Back in February of 2011 staff at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management area used to kill carp at the refuge for the sole purpose of controlling the fish and limiting the tremendous amount of damage they do to emergent vegetation in waterfowl habitat on the refuge (that was before they started trucking dead carp in from Utah Lake to bait eagles in for the viewing pleasure of onlookers and to promote Bald Eagle Day – a practice I deplored). On this day eagles were feeding on already dead carp in the open water channels in the ice too far out for decent photographs but the competition on the ice was intense. Eagles were fighting over fish and gulls were harassing eagles for the same bounty.
1/1600, f/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
So to avoid the intense competition on the ice this adult eagle tried a different strategy. It plucked its fish out of the water, took off with it and then began to eat it in flight. This wasn’t just an instinctive “killing bite” (administered to an already dead fish) – the eagle was actually consuming the carp. In some of my photos bits of flesh and scales were falling away. This was the first bite and in my experience eagles often eat the eyes first, as this one is doing.
One of the reasons I like this image is because the eagle’s white head and the light fish are highlighted so well against the dark wing.
This strategy to avoid competition didn’t work perfectly. It was effective on other eagles but not on the gulls who pestered this bird relentlessly in the air. There’s actually a hungry gull right behind this eagle (just out of frame) and I saw it bite the tail of the eagle at least once, though I missed those shots. Both the gull and the eagle can be seen in this previous post if you’re interested and haven’t seen it before.
I have to give credit where credit’s due. I may have missed the entire sequence if Mia hadn’t told me this eagle was headed our way (I had other eagles in my viewfinder at the time). And as luck would have it her camera buffer filled up at just the wrong time so she missed the shots. I’ve always felt badly about that.
Although on the plus side I think I learned some new cuss words coming from the back seat of my pickup… 🙂
Ron
Magnificant.
Thanks, Marilyn.
This image and those in your earlier post are truly amazing — and while we (and you) may wonder why you didn’t post this one the first time around … well, I can’t begin to figure out how you are able to cull from the hundreds (or thousands) you have to choose from each day! This shot is so beautiful … but I am also enthralled by the second one in the other post … the elegance of those uplifted wings, the spread of those beautiful white tail feathers, the eagle’s single-minded ambition to eat that fish! It’s an amazing moment to witness. I really admire all the effort you put into both your photography and your blog, Ron, I have learned so much and have a much greater appreciation for the bird world thanks to you. Hope you’ve had an enjoyable (and pain-free) holiday.
Chris, Apparently you agree with me and others about that image (the second one in the post I linked to). I liked it so much it’s the one I chose to post to Nature Photographers Network (NPN) for critique and it ended up being the Avian Photo Of The Year, an honor that meant very much to me. I’m gonna toot my own horn by including a link.
http://www.naturephotographers.net/imagecritique/ic.cgi?a=vp&pr=166462&CGISESSID=e124f6b7a5281fb23904cc389cc179b5&u=3688&title_action=
That is one amazing image. And a well deserved honour.
Thank you, EC.
Wow! That is a well-deserved honor … and good to know I (apparently) really do know art! (And enjoyed the note from one commenter about no catchlight in the fish’s eye. Those folks at NPN obviously know you well. 😎)
Ha, you hit THAT nail on the head, Chris! I spent a lot of time on NPN (where I learned much of what I know about bird photography) and many of us became quite familiar with each other’s styles, strengths, weaknesses and even foibles. I still have many friends who I first “met” on NPN, including Mia.
What an amazing photo. Thank you for posting your previous post, as well. The gull harassment was quite aggressive with the gull biting the eagle’s tail. I’m sure that fighting over food is quite common. I also looked at the link to the osprey and magpie and saw more aggression. The osprey was quite angry and even made the magpie back down. It seems like some birds try to steal food from other birds rather than catch their own food, but I could be wrong. Thank you for the great posts.
Alice, Many birds tend to be opportunistic feeders and that often includes kleptoparasitism like the examples you mention.
Now that’s what I call “eating on the run/fly.” ;-)))
🙂
Wow wow wow Ron! I adore this photo!!!! Thank you!
I’m glad you like it, Barby.
I am so very, very glad (and grateful) that you decided that you did like this incredible image.
What an amazing feat. And sight.
I am surprised that Mia’s gentle words of disappointment didn’t melt the windows in your pickup.
EC, Mia actually took her bad luck better than I would have.
A big “thank you” to Mia for taking one for the team. Today’s shot and those in your previous post are phenomenal! I appreciate the background info too.
And just in case no one says it: gulls are assholes.
Thank you, Marty. I’d agree that gulls can sometimes be difficult to like from some human perspectives. But the “worst” gull behaviors don’t hold a candle to the bad behavior of far too many humans…
The worst of ANY animal isn’t even in the same ballpark as certain @($* &%)# humans.
Now I’m depressed. 🙁
Yeah, humans win hands down on the buttheadedness.
We have a LOT of practise at behaving badly. And some of us have pretty much perfected it.
Here’s an example on CNN just from today:
http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/27/us/south-carolina-alligator-forced-to-drink-beer-trnd/?iid=ob_homepage_deskrecommended_pool
I don’t want to live on this planet anymore. 🙁
I want to live on this planet – but I want eviction rights. And the planet would be quite a lot lighter if I got them.
What’s WRONG with humans? Seriously, where is the point at which a normal person would think that was OK to do? I do NOT get it and I doubt I ever will.
OK, this eagle is just showing off! LOL! It’s not enough that they can fly and look all majestic (most of the time) and all. But dining on the wing is just over the top, especially while being harassed by gulls. I can almost hear the robust Nanner nanner nanner in this shot 🙂
I think from a raptor’s perspective (and some other predators) eyes taste really good–maybe they squish/squirt like a grape?
Cheers for Mia but I can also just hear the string of expletives when she discovered her filled-up buffer! Timing is everything…LOL!
Maybe the eyes going first is just to stimulate the appetite! 🙂
That’s possible too–an appetizer if you will! Sadly, we’ll never really know unless Merlin (the Wizard) shows up with a working magic wand that makes it possible for us to climb into their brain. Should that happen during my lifetime, remember that I might be old and handicapped, but I’m devious and sneaky. I will elbow you and everybody else out of line to be the first one to do that…HEHEHE!
Lovely series. The lighting and colors are impressive. The background bokha is perfect. It was nice to see the gull for size comparison too. That is a smaller eagle. I did not like the baiting of the eagles but I do miss the opportunity to watch the action up close.
April, I also have mixed feelings about the refuge bringing in those dead carp. But in the end I think it was a bad idea and it’s my understanding that the governor put big pressure on DWR to make Eagle Day successful and the trucked in carp were how they chose to accomplish it.
I think the West Nile incident put an end to the baiting.
That’s exactly what happened.
Dang !!! You are good ! This is a beauty, thank you Mia for the “heads up ” that made this image possible !
Agreed, Laurel. I’m pretty sure I’d have missed it without her alerting me.
There’s no way to forget this image!!! I remember it very, very well and consider it a classic….
Thank you, Patty (although I’ve never actually posted this image before – only similar ones).
I find it amazing that the Eagle could remember to keep its wings going while it ate. Obviously this one is a true survivor. I’m glad you were able to get the whole series. I agree with Joanne OBrien about including the details of your work.
“I find it amazing that the Eagle could remember to keep its wings going while it ate”
Susan, I’ve always thought of this eagle as an accomplished multitasker!
That is the greatest picture ever!!!!!! Win money with it !!!!! Audubon photo competition !!!!
Thank you for the accolade, Marina, but I don’t enter photo contests or competitions.
WOW! Both this photo and the earlier blog are amazing! Competition does get fierce over food between many species. An immature Bald caught a fish here many years ago and flew to the top of a power pole announcing his catch to “the world”. The magpies in this case were after it and, at the bottom of the pole sat a coyote just “waiting”. The eagle did keep the fish. Glad sharp eyed Mia told you it was coming even if she lost out and you expanded your “vocabulary” :)I too find the “nitty-gritty useful and educational.
Judy, I’ve photographed a magpie harassing an Osprey over a fish – also on top of a power pole. The magpie was persistent but I don’t think it got any of the fish except for some scraps that were dropped.
https://www.featheredphotography.com/blog/2012/05/17/an-osprey-a-fish-and-a-thieving-magpie/
Great series! Those magpies are persistent for sure! 🙂
Thought I recognized this sequence and what great shots they were!
So, have any of those new cuss words become part of your vocabulary? Leaving photography out of it, especially in our new political climate? VBG!
Hope you by now are feeling better and that you both are experiencing a great weekend!!
“have any of those new cuss words become part of your vocabulary?”
Of course, Dick! I’m always looking to expand my vocabulary…
: ))
I have seen so many photos of eagles fishing that they are not as downright exciting as they used to be – until this one. Wow! Everything about this photo is great, starting with the behavior. Thank you so much, Ron!
I’m glad you liked it that much, Richard. Thanks.
Ron,
Great images as usual. I went back and looked at your previous post as I had not seen it before. You mentioned the gulls trying to get the eagles to drop their fish. Do they actually go after a dropped fish? I had the opportunity to visit Conowingo Dam on the Susquehanna River several times last fall and winter for a remarkable gathering of bald eagles, on one day a certified eagle counter counted about 400 adults and juveniles. They often fought over a just captured fish but rarely actually went after one that was dropped. Seemed like they were fighting just for the fun of it. There were lots of gulls present but I do not remember any of them chasing an eagle, I’ll have to watch for that this year. Thanks as usual, great stuff
Thanks, John. To be honest I don’t specifically remember if I ever saw an eagle actually drop a fish because of gull harassment. But it wouldn’t surprise me if the gulls “fought for the fun of it” – just out of orneriness! 🙂
Ron, these photos are so exciting – beautiful birds, dramatic light and clouds, photographed at the “decisive moment”. I went back to the previous post too – it’s an incredible group! Thanks for including the photo nitty-gritty with your work – it is informative and humorous.
“Thanks for including the photo nitty-gritty with your work”
Thanks for that specific feedback, Joanne. I never know how much of that stuff to include.