Three days ago I got lucky with an unusually patient immature Golden Eagle in a remote area of northern Utah.
1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 640, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
In my experience Golden Eagles, especially in remote areas, are extremely skittish but this young bird was an exception – probably because ‘she’ was young. I had all the time I wanted with her. She had her back to me but the light was good and she kept scanning the flats behind her for prey so I got many good looks at her face with light in her eye.
1/4000, f/6.3, ISO 800, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
For some reason this is a photo that I wanted badly but I had to wait for it. I spent quite a while waiting for her shadow to move across the flattish rock at lower left so it was centered on the rock but that wasn’t the only thing I had to wait for. I also wanted the shadow of her head to be in profile with her beak clearly showing and of course I had to have good light on her face and a catch light in her eye. This is about the only pose that would provide all three.
That combination was hard to come by but eventually I got it, for what it’s worth.
1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 640, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
After a while I moved my vantage point, mostly for the sake of variety. She was relaxed and paid little to no attention as I drove a short distance down the road. In this shot I actually caught her yawning so maybe she thought I was boring.
1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 640, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
A little later I realized that if I drove even further down the road I could get a nearby mountain in the background. If I couldn’t get much pose variety out of her I could at least get some variety in shooting angle and backgrounds by changing my vantage point. In this shot the cold north breeze lifted the golden feathers on the back of her head.
Eventually I had multiple versions of all of the photos I wanted of her while she was perched and it didn’t look like she’d be taking off and flying anytime soon so I left her to look for other birds. It goes against my grain to drive away from a Golden Eagle reasonably close, in good light and in an attractive natural setting but that’s what I did.
Whether or not I have any regrets depends on what she did or didn’t do after I left.
Ron
She was ready for her close-up, Mr. Dud’Ille
Apparently.
I’ll say you got lucky, indeed! What a treat! She’s gonna be a stunner when she’s fully mature. All that lichen too! 🧡
Yay for patience in getting that second shot. Besides the shadow and other attributes you mentioned, I feel like she’s channeling her “internal owl” with that head swivel.
I was extra lucky to get her head at that angle when I did, Marty. Her shadow was only centered on the rock for a short time.
Ron, your photos of the Golden Eagle were outstanding. I think you photographed the best of the best before moving on. The blue-sky background shots were outstanding but then so was the photo of the breeze blowing against her neck.
” I think you photographed the best of the best before moving on”
I hope you’re right, Skip. I always wonder when I choose to leave a bird, especially a bird like this one.
Congrats Ron. That is a very nice series of photos. I don’t know which is my favorite, but the one with the shadow is particularly striking.
Thank you, Patrick. If forced to choose I’d have to go with the shadow shot too.
Oooh and ahhh.
We very rarely get lichen of that colour (most of ours is a soft green) so that really caught my eye. And we NEVER get Golden Eagles.
Yet another delightful start to my day (after I pilled the cat).
Thanks, EC. Orange is probably our most common lichen color but we get greens and blacks too. And some reds.
I find the lichens almost as appealing as the Eagle. Almost.
I’m a fan too.
Beautiful photos and yes the shadow is great. Nice to see them out there again. I like the young birds with the white on the tale.
Thank you, April.
Such a magnificent creature. Beautiful shots.
The Berry College (Georgia) baby eagle fledged two days ago. I took some pictures at the nest two days before it fledged. (Timing is everything.)
Link to eagle cam:
https://www.berry.edu/eaglecam/
Thanks, Bob.
Ah, the reward of patience.
Yup.
Very nice series Ron. You have definitely become boring when she just kind of ignores you. I have never seen a Golden so I would have stayed as long as she did, but you have seen them many times. I even have trouble leaving our Balds after a while if they show no signs of taking off. They are all really good photos with the perfect blue sky etc. Before your yawn explanation I thought she was screaming out. Like the shadow.
Everett, when it comes to Golden’s I’m never blasé, not ever. It was hard to leave her but at the time it seemed like the thing to do. And yes, she does look a little like she’s screaming.
Wonderful series, Ron. You lucked out with the shadow capture. I like the warm gold/brown of the bird against the lichen-encrusted rocks.
Thanks, Kathryn. With bird photography, luck of both kinds is always part of the equation.
I think that her shadow ( #2 ) was well worth your wait– it gave that image
added interest in the large, lichen-covered perch area, which was itself a
nice compositional component–most especially because of the perfect
shadow giving it added character !
I’m glad you like the shadow shot, Kris. And thanks for explaining why.
Beautiful! No, once they’re aware of you they generally don’t like being “stared” at…;) Beautiful, rich, coloring and the yawn is fun…. A good day even if she didn’t “fly” for you…. 🙂
” they generally don’t like being “stared” at”
They sure don’t, especially with that big round ‘eye’ that I call my lens. Thanks, Judy.
Splendid! I especially enjoy the one with her shadow! Thank you.
Thanks, Mary. I’m pretty fond of that one too, in part because it was such a challenge to get.