Bald Eagle - Our National Symbol - Vol. #3

Beautiful shots Linth!

luvsgrtdanes, if you don't get your expectations too high as to numbers, you will be okay. Of course, be sure to take binoculars (or spotting scope) because they sit on some of the rocks that are over 1,000 feet away. If you have never heard them, it is also neat to hear them call. You normally would expect a voice much louder and/or coarse. Last year, I went as late as the last week in January and still saw some. They also sit in the trees behind you as you are facing the water. Let us know what you experience. No matter what, make sure you schedule another trip toward the end of November. Good luck !!!

Thanks, pelle !!!

Well, my season has just begun for photographing Bald Eagles. The majority of them have yet to arrive from the north but there is enough local activity to hold my attention. So, I hope you enjoy them. The photos do get somewhat repetitious but that's what keeps me going back in an attempt to get that perfect shot ...... whatever it is.

So, I'll begin where I left off back in January with just a few new photos.

Flying gracefully about tree high ........

Same bird, different wing position ..............

Flying around looking for a fish floating high in the water ............

Another adult Bald Eagle gliding with the wind currents .......

With the leaves still on the trees its been difficult to get any close-up sitting shots.

Great! Thanks for posting again this season linthicum!

OH My GOSH!!!
Yay, welcome home, Linth.

My eyes are a just dancing with Eagles, WOW.
Incredible,

Thank you for continuing...

Wonderful pics Linth!

Thanks for doing this thread for another year! I absolutly love the one with the leaves and spiderweb still in the tree. I think that I've never seen a shot of them surrounded by fall color. It sure looks nice!

Fantastic photos Linth. My eagle photos aren't near as close. Guess I'd better start saving for the longer lens. Sure enjoy seeing your pictures!

Fabulous, Linth. I'd so love to see and photograph these magnificent birds. Do you mind reminding us what lens/es you are using?

Thanks, all. I'm glad you enjoy them. I'll try to be somewhat selective in posting new photos. I do take lots of Bald Eagle photos, but as I mentioned, I'm still looking for better action shots.

Margaret, I've been exclusively using a Nikkor 500mm prime lens with a Nikon D300 Digital SLR. I have 1.4x and 1.7x teleconverters but seldom use them. Tracking a flying Bald Eagle at 700mm or 850mm becomes a little difficult for me. I often miss a lot of shots at 500mm because tracking and keeping the eagle in focus isn't always easy. I use a Wimberley head on a Gitzo tripod which is a perfect combination. If you have never seen a Wimberley head in action you don't know what you have missed. The first time I saw one in action, I immediately decided I've got to get one of those.

Many of the Bald Eagles are too far away to take any respectable photos. I haven't found that increasing focal length beyond 700mm helps a lot from a picture quality perspective, especially in-flight shots. So, I wait for them to come to me.

Anyway, here is a photo of an immature Bald Eagle with a huge catch, taken this weekend. The fish was so heavy the eagle never really got airborne. It glided across the water to the adjacent island where it enjoyed some Sashimi. You can quickly see that a lot of improvement could be made on a photo like this one, but many times, the variables are beyond the photographer's control. So next time you hope that he catches a fish at a different site under better lighting conditions.

JuneyBug, here is an immature Bald Eagle just about 20 feet above the ground. I actually had to back away in order to allow the 500mm lens to focus.

Linth, if you have not gotten the "perfect" Bald Eagle shot yet, what hope do the rest of us have? Looking forward to a lot more of your Bald Eagle pics this winter.

gardenpom, I'm sorry ...... but, rest assured, I've haven't got it yet !!!

And, here's another photo of the earlier eagle sitting among the fall leaves. Here he's showing his better side ?

I like all the pics but the last one is my favorite, it almost looks like it's smiling. lol Keep em coming Linth!

Same here, love them all but the last one is wonderful!

It sure is

Wonderful shots Linth...I love the ones in the trees with the autumn leaves!

Cool thread. Just now noticed it. Nice pix everyone.

I came across this juvie baldy on a recent hunting/fishing trip up north. This pic was taken at Lake Louise, about 170 miles north of Anchorage. He was perched atop the cab of a pick-up at the boat launch area and hung out there for the entire three days that we were there.

He allowed me to walk right up to him. I snapped several close-ups of him, but I like this one the best.....

Nice one ava!

Nice capture, Ava. Thanks for posting it.

Although I should be satisfied with my personal encounters with the Bald Eagle, one of the most enviable places that I have ever seen through others photos is Homer, AK. Have you ever been there ..... about 3 hours away from Seward ?

I referenced this website (attached link) in the past but I will mention it again. I know the photographer, Woody Dawson, quite well and he has personally shared with me many of his experiences while in Homer. It is well worth the time to visit his website. Click on "The Eagle Lady - 2007". The 'Eagle Lady' is Jean Keene who passed away earlier this year at age 85. For over 30 years her feeding of the Bald Eagles was surrounded by controversy and drew national attention. The second link, for those interested, covers the issue in much more detail.

http://www.woodyseagles.com/10.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Keene

Yes...Lived in Homer for 3 years in the early 70's and fished out of there for 15 years. I live just outside of Seward (was born there, btw), right along side of Salmon Creek. There are eagles all over this area....just never had the opportunity to get that good of a close-up before.

Here's a pic of a couple of eagles that hang out near my nephew's cabin on the bay...

That is so neat ava!

We had our first snowfall last night which quickly turned to freezing rain come daylight. When this happens, the eagles feathers quite often ice up. There were several eagles around my property today perched in trees with their wings hanging to dry off. Sometimes when they fly you can hear the ice on their feathers crackling. I remember once as a kid, an iced down eagle actually crashed into the snow right in our yard. He soon recovered and took off again, crackling away as he went.

Notice the one on the left with his wings hanging down....

Wow, Ava, that is astonishing. I have never considered such a thing happening. The fact that they can fly when their wings are encrusted with ice is even more amazing.

That is amazing. Is there high humidity where you are aveads?

On Sunday we drove down to Portage Valley expecting to photograph eagles. Portage Valley is about 2/5,s of the drive from Anchorage to Seward where Ava lives. To our surprise winter had already arrive in the valley. A week earlier there had been a dozen eagles around the lake in this picture, but the rain was coming down nearly horizontally. The few pictures I snapped then were too blurred by the rain to keep! This time the lake was frozen solid with a solitary optimist refusing to leave. A late run of Silver Salmon attracts the eagles. As I was walking around the lake to get this picture, I encountered Black Bear tracks in the fresh snow. We still do not have any snow in Anchorage, unusual because winter normally arrives well before Halloween.

Wow that is beautiful Gary!

Gary, very scenic photo. I bet as the light changes, the scenery changes dramatically.

Ava, thanks for sharing your photos, also.

We are nearing what should normally be the peak time for the migrating Bald Eagles. A week ago, one observer counted in excess of 200. They were everywhere. However, this past weekend, the numbers had dwindled dramatically. Why ? I don't know. We had several days of bad weather which may have contributed somewhat to the number change. I took about 10% of the photos I took the previous weekend. There were more photographers than eagles. Nonetheless, I will be back this weekend, weather permitting.

Juvenile Bald Eagles are not nearly as photogenic as the adults but you take what you can get. Here are a few photos of a juvenile Bald Eagle circling low over the water as he searches for food.

Sometimes the juveniles give you more photo opportunities as they attempt to catch a fish. With their inexperience they tend to miss or drop the fish more frequently than the adults and keep going back for it.

The lighting has to be good to capture a decent photo of a juvenile.

Another photo as he passes by .........

And another ......

Last one of this juvenile .....

Okay, one more. Not sure if this is the same eagle.

Wonderful shots Linth!! Their all great but I love the third one.