The Sentinel

The Sentinel.

 

Late one afternoon our group was near Kelly, Wyoming photographing some snow covered pines. As we drove back we spotted 2 Bald Eagles on a power pole, one half way up, one on the top. We stopped to photograph them of course. We noticed that the one half way up was feeding on what we later identified as a Mallard duck. Our first thought was the one on top was waiting to feed, but as we looked closer we noticed that it had a full crop, which is the area at the top of the digestive system that stores food. We are guessing the two were a mated pair and simply shared dinner, the one on the top of the pole was simply waiting for the other to finish its meal, almost standing guard as it ate.

 

Tamron SP 150-600mm Di VC USD G2 lens on a Nikon D-500, Manual Exposure mode, f8, ISO 1800, shutter speed of 1/1000th of a second, handheld, processed in Lightroom Classic CC. #WithMyTamron, #TamronUSA, #TamronLensesUSA, #TamronImageMaster, #Tamron150600g2, #BearWoodsPhotography, #NatureInFocusPhotographyWorkshops

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River

River.

 

River is a 6 year old American Bald Eagle at the Teton Raptor Center in Wilson, WY. She was also the “headliner” for our educational program with the TRC. It is hard to put into words how beautiful a bird she is, but if I had to use one word… magnificent! She is so striking and to be so close to see the detail on her was incredible. I know that is a lot of words to describe her, but I could go on and on. She is at the Center because she is a victim of water pollution and can not fly, and therefore could not survive in the wild. She will live and be well cared for serving as an educational bird. I know our group learned a lot about the Bald Eagle from the incredible staff at the TRC.

 

Tamron SP 150-600mm Di VC USD G2 lens on a Nikon D-850, Manual Exposure mode, f8, ISO 640, shutter speed of 1/1250th of a second, Sirui P326 monopod, processed in Lightroom Classic CC. #WithMyTamron, #TamronUSA, #TamronLensesUSA, #TamronImageMaster, #Tamron150600g2, #BearWoodsPhotography, #NatureInFocusPhotographyWorkshops

A Big Canoe Eagle

A Big Canoe Eagle.

 

Continuing with my favorite images of 2018, I have to post one of the female Big Canoe Eagle fishing. The Eagles settled on an island in Big Canoe and provided for some great images and memories for me. I can’t help think about the day my friend, Mark Green, and I were photographing the Eagles when we heard the cries of the fawn that had fallen into the lake and was drowning. Mark and I scooped the fawn up in a net and released it on the shore for its mother. Events like that far exceed an image, but the image reminds me of the event. The Eagles have returned and are building a nest on the island again for this season. I hope I get the opportunity to photograph them again in 2019!

 

Tamron SP 150-600mm Di VC USD G2 lens on a Nikon D-500, Manual Exposure mode, f8, ISO 1250, shutter speed of 1/2000th of a second, processed in Lightroom Classic CC. #WithMyTamron, #TamronUSA, #TamronLensesUSA, #TamronImageMaster, #Tamron150600g2, #BearWoodsPhotography

Lifting Off

Lifting off.

 

After the approach, the grab, comes the lifting off and eventual delivery of the catch to the nest. This was a few seconds after grabbing the fish. The Eagles are pretty strong and their wingspan allows them to lift off with a fish or other catch. Being a fairly small fish, the Eagle lifted off without getting too wet. Just seeing it was a special and spectacular moment.

 

Tamron SP 150-600mm Di VC USD G2 lens on a Nikon D-500, Manual Exposure mode, f8, ISO 1250, shutter speed of 1/2000th of a second, handheld utilizing the Vibration Compensation feature of the lens, processed in Lightroom Classic CC. #WithMyTamron, #TamronUSA, #TamronLensesUSA, #TamronImageMaster, #BirdNirdvana

The Grab

The Grab.

 

One image I have always wanted to capture, or the sequence I have always wanted was an Eagle grabbing a fish from the water…got it. That moment of contact I hoped for finally. When an entire sequence last less than a few seconds, and you are in a moving boat, I am so glad I had the gear I had. The D-500 can shoot 10 frames per second for 20 seconds continuously (before pausing to buffer), and although I didn’t use all 20 seconds, I used 4 or 5. There are some that hate hearing that rapid fire of the shutter, but for those who love shooting birds in flight and birds of prey, you know the feeling. I know back in the days of film I missed so many images because of the slower rates and limits of a roll of film. My motto when shooting birds in flight and high continuous frames…”it is cheaper to delete images than going to therapy for missing the shot”. I loved how quickly the Tamron SP 150-600mm G2 lens locked on focus and tracked flawlessly throughout the sequence. The only non-keepers were due to clipping wings partially because even at 320mm, it was too tight for a couple frames.

 

Tamron SP 150-600mm Di VC USD G2 lens on a Nikon D-500, Manual Exposure mode, f8, ISO 1250, shutter speed of 1/2000th of a second, handheld utilizing the Vibration Compensation feature of the lens, processed in Lightroom Classic CC. #WithMyTamron, #TamronUSA, #TamronLensesUSA, #TamronImageMaster, #BirdNirvana

The Approach

The Approach.

 

The next few images I will share over the next few days were from Big Canoe after our incident with the fawn. It had been windy all morning and the Eagles were pretty much doing nothing, but the wind settled down around 9:30 or so and the lake began to smooth out. The male Eagle had been perched in a tree on a point the whole morning, except for a brief moment when he “snagged” a Bluejay that had been harassing him all morning. Yes, he caught the Bluejay and relocated it to the nest as brunch for the Eaglets. The Bluejays left him alone after that. No, I didn’t get the image.

 

We talked with several fisherman that morning, one on a paddle board, who told us about an incident where he had caught a fish and in an attempt to put it into his creel bag, it got loose. One of the Eagles came down and took it from the water fairly close to him. While Mark was fishing he hooked a fish and I noticed the Eagle watched closely as he landed the fish. Later he caught one that was too small and he was returning it to the lake. The female Eagle appeared out of nowhere and began circling the fish. We reacted quickly and started capturing as the Eagle swooped down and grabbed the fish (the image was at 350mm!). We learned something. The Eagles have adapted to fisherman and being opportunist as they are, they grab fish when given a chance. I talked with other friends who live in Big Canoe and they have said they have had the Eagles circle their canoes or kayaks when the catch a fish probably hoping the fish escapes.They seem to use the tree on the point not only as a perch to look for fish, but to watch the fisherman as well.

 

We have witnessed the Eagles fishing, successfully, on their own, but being opportunistic feeders, they obviously will take advantage of an easy meal. I know the Eagles at Berry College retrieve roadkill often and bring it to the nest. When you are feeding 2 babies, I guess an easy meal is a good thing, helping to save energy especially in the heat.

 

Tamron SP 150-600mm Di VC USD G2 lens on a Nikon D-500, Manual Exposure mode, f8, ISO 1250, shutter speed of 1/2000th of a second, handheld utilizing the Vibration Compensation feature of the lens, processed in Lightroom Classic CC. #WithMyTamron, #TamronUSA, #TamronLensesUSA, #TamronImageMaster, #BirdNirdvana

The Liftoff

The Liftoff.

 

I wanted to share the final images of our adventure last week before I share some of the images from yesterday’s adventure. Our experience yesterday was pretty incredible and we also captured some awesome images of the female Eagle fishing. These were the final images from the scene the other day as the male Big Canoe Eagle lifted off of the branch to fish in the cove as we sat in the boat. It literally flew within probably 25 feet of us. My friend, Mark, shared with me that he watched as the Eagles fished between paddle boarders and kayakers on Sunday. He said he did a few images of people capturing great stuff with their phones! These Eagles are incredible to watch and photograph.

 

All 3 images have the same technical data. Tamron SP 150-600mm Di VC USD G2 lens on a Nikon D-500, Manual Exposure mode, f8, ISO 1000, shutter speed of 1/1000th of a second, handheld utilizing the Vibration Compensation feature of the lens, processed in Lightroom Classic CC. #WithMyTamron, #TamronUSA, #TamronLensesUSA, #TamronImageMaster, #BirdNirdvana