Eagle!!

Very exciting day for me - I actually got some eagle photos. I was having lunch at the little beach/park where I often go in between clients, just hoping for an eagle. I took all sorts of seagull pics, duck pics, etc. - and finally this beauty showed up! I'm using my 300mm lens and the burst mode so I had an absolute ton of pictures, but of course only a few good ones.

These aren't in any particular order and I had two separate viewings today.

This one I used the "auto correct" function in Microsoft's picture program - it took all the blue out of the sky, but sure did bring the eagle into focus!

Another

One more

Thanks for posting. I enjoyed viewing your pics. We tour Reelfoot Lake in TN one year and saw them in the wild. They are having an Eagle tour on KY Lake at the end of this month. Some stay in that area year round.

Nice photos, Murmur. It is always a great thrill to capture the beauty of the Bald Eagle. Nesting season is now underway which may provide additional photo opportunities. I look forward to seeing more of your Eagle photos.

such awesome shots Murmur

Murmur I really like the flying shots, very difficult shooting.

Can any, of the Eagle experts out there tell me, if this shot is a Golden Eagle, as I believe, or is it an immature Bald Eagle. I took the picture south of Mt. McKinley, both species are found in the area.

Murmur, Great shots! Thats so exciting!

Gras, nice shot!

I'm not an expert but I used to see bald eagles almost everday. It looks like a young bald eagle to me. Did you see it fly? An immature Golden Eagle will have white patches underneath, on the wings and tail.

In Oct, we drove past a fish farm in coastal North Carolina. Along with a Great Blue Heron and Egrets at the edge, a Bald Eagle was fishing in the pond. I'm sure the fish farmer was none too happy about that, since he isn't allowed to hurt the eagle who was enjoying a free lunch. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me.

This message was edited Jan 24, 2007 5:09 AM

WOW What great Pictures

Great pictures Murmur!!!

Ok Murmur, I am in Eagle glory here. I am speechless and incredibly Jealous! Your photos will be all the talk. I can't wait to show my B&S when they come. Wowee just fantastic!!

Awwwww - thanks to all of you! You make me feel good enough to keep trying!

Murmur,

Great pics! The Bald Eagle is a fantastic bird! Look at that wingspan! Lucky you to have them where you are.

Thanks for sharing.

Marilyn

Here in Central Alabama they are making a fantastic come back. There are hundreds of catfish lakes and it is something to see an Eagle flying low and snatch a pound or a pound and a half catfish out of a lake. Ospray are comman here also. You talking about a wing span wow they have one.

This message was edited Jan 26, 2007 4:40 PM

Murmur - Do you have Photoshop? I took the liberty of using the unsharp mask that someone else on DG taught me about....and then someone who taught it at the college here told me about, too. This is what happens to your eagle picture with it.
Those are awesome shots, btw. I'm very jealous.

Omigosh, Ceejay! That's fabulous . . . I do have PhotoShop and did learn about that technique, but man oh man, I am so confused with that darn program. I think it's fabulous if one knows what they are doing. I have a friend coming in a couple weeks who is really good with it - she promises to help me (if I can be helped, that is!!).

Thanks for doing that - love it!!!

Whitewidower, glad you're getting eagles again in Alabama. They should be everywhere, considering they are America's bird!!

Murmur, I can only use a few things in photoshop, and I wish I knew a whole lot more about it. Would like to take a class with beginners, but don't know where that would be. To use the unsharp filter, select filter, then sharpen, then unsharp mask. Set it at 100%, 2.0 pixels, and 1 level. That's all I did to your photo, and it just seemed to bring it into sharper focus, don't you think?

Here's another:

Well, speaking of sharper, feel free to have a go at this one, if Murmur doesn't mind. I took this through a telescope, and it wiggled at the last second, so I got this funny shot of the talons last summer. It was supposed to be the head, but it's kind of neat anyway

Here you go...BTW, I like that photo! How often do you get to see the feet and talons?

Yeah, it's funny, kind of a happy accident... Thanks, ceejay, that was quick! Be careful, or you'll just keep getting requests! LOL
It's amazing how sharp those things must be to pick up a fish.

claypa - I think it maybe could have used a little contrast, but I didn't want to mess it up! LOL!
Two years ago we made a trip up the inland passage (Alaska) and in Ketchikan we went out with a guide, fishing for Halibut. (Didn't get any - only rockfish, but they were delicious). We were near a little island, and the guide said - get your camera ready. So I aimed my camera where he pointed, and he threw a fish up into the air. Well, from behind us came an eagle and it caught that fish before it landed in the water. All I got was a blur! The guide had seen an eagle in a tree on the island and gave us a little action to remember. I'll never forget it!!!

ceejaytown:
I'm only using HP Image Zone and didn't know what I was missing, until I saw what you've done with these eagle shots. I'm going to have to learn more -- soon!
Its been over cast, showy, gloomy, all week until today. So we took a ride through Far North Bicentennial Park looking for birds to photograph. It seems most of the birds have moved into the suburb's for the easy food at feeders. The ravens and magpies are everywhere in the city, half of the light poles in shopping centers have raven roosting on them. They are especially numerous near restaurant dumpsters, but none in the park! The only bird we saw was this Bald Eagle perched in a big old cottonwood tree. But he was back lighted, and to far off the road for a decent image. The snow was waist deep so I didn't have any desire the get up closer.

Claypa, awesome and almost eerie talons - wow!!!

Gras, beautiful silhouette. The snow was waist deep? That's amazing.

Okay, Ceejay, help!! I did the unsharp mask with a Cormorant photo I took yesterday and it did indeed look way better. However, how do I save it? I tried it a couple ways, but couldn't open it later.

Just click on save, if you want to replace the photo you now have. It may ask if you want to replace, and you say yes. If you don't want to replace - click save as, and give it a new number. I just put a 1 at the end of the number so they'll be next to each other in the file. After you do either of those it will ask you what size file do you want - and I always leave it maximum...I can always make it smaller later if I need to. Be sure that you're saving it as a JPEG.
But I feel that you already know this stuff. What did it look like later, that you couldn't open it?

Murmur: You said: "The snow was waist deep? That's amazing." So what do you think of this pic of my truck.

The weather finally broke, second sunny day in a row. I had to get out of town, and shoot some eagles. After photographing the eagles, we went up into Turnagain Pass, and shot this image (2/1/2007 4:09:40 PM). Just a little more than waist deep. lol.

I did get some eagle pic's. I going to sort and crop them, before posting a few, of the best back here.

LOL - that kind of snow is beyond my imagination!!!

Sitting on the side of the bay waiting for the tide to come in.

A pair of Bald Eagles, perched on grounded ice flows, waiting for high tide to bring dinner. Turnagain Arm, Alaska. 2/1/2007

Fabulous shot!

A Bald Eagle perched on a grounded ice flow, waiting for high tide. Turnagain Arm, Alaska. 2/1/2007

All I can say is "WOW!!!" Just look at the detail on his face - you really took a perfect photo!!!

We returned to the road killed moose we found a pair of Eagles scavenging yesterday. When we first arrived an adult and a juvenile Bald Eagle were defending a large piece from Magpies and Ravens. I spooked the adult before the camera was ready, but took 10 shots of the juvenile with Ravens steeling bites and one with a Magpie. There must be fox or coyotes moving large pieces around at night. Frozen road side pond, Seward Hwy., Turnagain Arm, Alaska. 2/1/2007

Murmur, after trying to crop and filter my first pic of an Eagle flying. (first picture -- not first try.) I had to go back to the top of the thread and admire your shot again. Congratulations, it is even more difficult than I though. This is all I was able to capture.

This magpie was impatiently waiting for a portion of the feast, but prudent enough to show a little respect to the Juvenal Bald Eagle. The image doesn't show the wind, which was blowing about 35 mph. at the time, we had to dodge a five gallon pail blowing down the highway as we pull away. All of Turnagain Arm is a high wind area. Frozen road side pond, Seward Hwy., Turnagain Arm, Alaska. 2/1/2007

Both the Raven and the Juvenile Bald Eagle try to catch their breath, at the same time, in the gale force wind, before fighting over the next bit, off the dinner table. Frozen road side pond, Seward Hwy., Turnagain Arm, Alaska. 2/1/2007

The Raven is forcefully swearing, at the Juvenile Bald Eagle. Just a glimpse at the uninterrupted competition, for this food, down to the very last bit. Tragedy for the moose -- blessing for the residents of this neighborhood, food for a couple more days this winter. Frozen road side pond, Seward Hwy., Turnagain Arm, Alaska. 2/1/2007