Welcome to our new nest (thread) for more photos of the magnificent Bald Eagle. We just flew over from here: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/919395/
This photo was taken last year about 10 minutes from my house. A Bald Eagle family decided to take up residence in a homeowner's backyard right in a residential area. I think someone removed the nest which forced them to rebuild about a mile away this year. However, I did not get any photos of them this year.
Back to this year. A few in-flight shots.
Another .....
One more ......
A different background ............
I show the show on at MTS
6:00 Boston
9:00 Seattle
Not listed as showng in Detroit.
Thanks for the new thread Linth! Great shots.
I just watched the second half of the eagle program; it was great!
I'll watch it again the next time its on.
Wonderful threads, Linth.
Why would anyone want to remove a nest. What a treat it would be to have those majestic birds nesting in your backyard. Who'd need a TV?
It is illegal to disturb a Bald Eagle's nest!
A Juneau, AK utility company was fined several thousand dollars, last summer, for disturbing a nest during the construction of a new high voltage power line.
I really enjoyed the program. As with any nature program, there were sad parts to the story. but ended well. Eagles are awesome!
Beautiful updates Linth...just gorgeous images. I watched the last half of the Eagles program and really learned a lot...thanks for posting it. I hope they show it again as I want to see it from the beginning. These Eagles are truly remarkable..not to mention beautiful!
Thanks, everyone, for your comments. I have no idea why or how the nest disappeared. A lot of people were aware of it so if the homeowners intentionally removed it, I would have thought DNR would have been notified.
It seemed like the pair of eagles were destined to a forced relocation. Down the street, they had this perfect perch where I was able to get my best photo. Again, I went back one day and the entire dead tree had been removed. I couldn't believe it. In this case, there was a new house being built on the property.
Anyway, they will have less disturbance at their new location.
Linth, Mother Nature took away one of the eagles' favorite perches near my home - actually, either a windstorm broke the branch or the weight of the birds finally did it in. I was devastated to see it gone, though, as I could almost always find at least one sitting there.
Awesome photos, as always - I never get tired of seeing eagles.
At 6:39 this morning DH called me to tell me "They're baaaaaack". "They" of course are our winter eagles, usually arriving Dec. 1. At least one has showed up early!
Glad to hear at least one is back, Mrs_Ed. It makes you wonder where the other one is or where it has been spending its time.
Here's a photo of an adult Bald Eagle passing by two Great Blue Herons.
oh, Nice!
Do you think that the males scout early like hummingbirds?
That's the fist time I've ever heard a Bald Eagle compared to a hummingbird . . . :o)
LOL Res… you know, I was chuckling as I was typing. I knew people would think I"m an idiot.
OMG! I must be an idiot too! I was agreeing with you as I read it!
Aren't most Eagle Scouts males, anyway ?
*roll eyes* Linth!
Talk about eye candy! Incredible shots. Thanks so much for sharing. You've added extra joy to the day. :)
Thanks for the morning chuckle you guys
Aren't most Eagle Scouts males, anyway ?
Linthicum -
I'm your neighbor, so pleeeaaassseee - where did you go to get those
shots?! I'm stuck with a bunch of NASCAR neighbors who've cut down ALL
their trees for driveways & monster garages.
Do you belong to Md. Audubon? They've got a trip to Conowingo in Dec.
Carol, these photos were taken at the Conowingo Dam. That's the best place. However, I also take quite a few eagle photos at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, south of Cambridge, on the eastern shore. This is the best time of the year, now through mid-January.
I have never participated in a group event. I prefer, for the most part, doing it on my own time and at my own pace. I do have memberships in number of local entities. Here is a link to one of them: Friends of Blackwater NWR.
http://www.friendsofblackwater.org/
Locally, I visit Ft. Smallwood Park, Down's Park, Kinder Park, Centennial Lake in Columbia, Patuxent National Wildlife Refuge (North Tract and South Tract), in Laurel and a number of others. There are a lot of others within a 2 hour drive. D-mail me if you have any specific questions.
Here is a photo taken earlier this year while on a visit to Blackwater NWR. There was a flock of Tundra Swans in a nearby field and this adult Bald Eagle brought one down. I took the photo right out the car window.
The fish may live to swim another day ..............
Here's a few more photos of a couple of immature Bald Eagles harassing the Ring-billed Gull.
A Great Blue Heron watches from the rocks as the Bald Eagle approaches the Gull with talons outstretched .....
The Gull heading underwater ........
As bad as the scene potentially appears or could have appeared, the Gull eventually flew away unscathed .... and lucky.
Okay, different Bald Eagle with a fine catch of the day ..............
Linthicum so are your photos being shot with a 70-300 lens? I just bought a Canon xsi and that lens for the eagle season this year.. I am on that learning curve now of how to use the camera and the lens.
About how far away are you from those photos over on the first thread just out of curiosity. Do you have a preferred Aperture setting and shutter speed. Any hints would be so greatly appreciated
Here is a shot from my sony cybershot I took last year here in the Quad Cities IL area
Cripes Glo, that's a great pix with a point and shoot!
:) Thank You. I do like that cam. I will keep it as a back up. It served me well last year overall. Just time to learn a little more about SLR's and i am in the right spot with an awesome bird to learn with.
You sure are!! Do you ever go to Clinton? If so, do you have better luck there?
Well I go up to Fulton a couple of times a year. I have great luck finding eagles though right here but love to get to Fulton just to see the numbers although they are pretty far away to capture. Soar near by though and fish in the dam so its great.
glo77, these photos were taken with a 500mm lens with a 1.4x teleconverter which increases it to 700mm. I'm not very good at estimating distance but many of them are pretty far away. In fact some of the photos are so far away that you could barely see the eagle(s) with the naked eye. Of course, the closer one can get, the better the quality of the photo. Even the "closer" ones, in flight, are several hundred feet.
With a lens like this, one needs good lighting so that the shutter speed is fast enough. If the lighting isn't "real" good, you need to bump up your ISO settings. A lot of photographers shoot with their aperture fully open. However, I have recently been using Aperture priority with a f/8 setting. You just have to practice and get used to what settings work best for you under certain conditions. With this camera (Nikon D200) and lens, I do use a tripod.
Should you have any specific questions I will try to assist you. Just send me a D-mail.
Well my dream lens will probably be on my list of things to get next year and that is a 100-400. However having said that folks tell me I will need a monopod. You mention using a tripod. I think there is no way with an eagle soaring I am going to keep a tripod or a monopod on the ground while I shoot anyway.
Time will tell what happens when I really get to having some eagles to enjoy :) and try to capture. Just a very few in here so far. It souldn't be too long now though.
Thanks.
Hey Glo, Linth has some info in the sticky for photographing birds. Since you're new, thought I would mention it.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/805666/
OK thanks I will have to go take a look at that.
