Back to the birds.
After a summer of no birds in flight, I've been able to get out a couple of times this fall and photograph some bald eagles. I hope to get quite a bit of eagle action this winter.
These were taken at lock and dam 13 in Fulton Illinois. Canon 5d Mark IV, Canon 300mm f4L with Canon 1.4 teleconverter.
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Nice images. Love the blue skies with the Bald Eagle.
Jake
Website: www.frozenshutter.com
"Some people hunt with a rifle, I hunt with a Canon" ~ Gary Jacobson
Tried out my new, to me, Canon 400mm f5.6L yesterday. The eagles didn't really cooperate, but I did what I could. So far I'm liking the lens. It's not as easy to take static shots, since there's no IS, but that shouldn't be that big of a deal with the flight shots.
These were taken at lock and dam 13 on the Mississippi River.
Found a couple of eagles enjoying lunch yesterday.
When this guy swooped in, the youngster took off.
A few from Monday (020122) when I visited lock and dam 16, 15, 14, and 13 on the Mississippi River.
Not that anyone is looking or anything......
Here's one from today, at the dam on the Rock River in Oregon IL, for nobody to see.....
A couple of more bald eagle shots, from another trip over to the Rock River.
Very nice stuff, love the last 5 of them.
Great shots of the eagles and other flying critters. I also use a 400 f/5.6. Sharpest lens I have, and rarely need IS for what I shoot. I just bump up the ISO a bit.
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" - Wayne Gretzky
As a collection, your series in this thread helps to show the different aspects of eagle life. Spectacular and insightful!
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
A few more, from last weekend.
My eagle season is just about to come to an end. There are a few pairs that nest on the Rock River, but it gets harder to find them once the ice is off the river.
Love your eagle shots, especially the juvies!! Would you care to share your exposure settings for your images, so that folks can see how you avoid blowing out your skies?
I have photographed eagles a couple times at lock 18, near Burlington Iowa, several years ago.
Are there public areas to shoot from on the Rock River, in Illinois, that you recommend?
Bald eagles have made a great come back in the Mid West over the last few decades. I can find them pretty reliably, near home now, along the Wabash River in west central Indiana, too. and at Goose Pond Wildlife Conservation Area, where I frequently see water fowl, sandhill cranes, bald eagles, raptors, and an occasional whooping crane.
https://indianabirdingtrail.com/pages/goose-pond-fish-and-wildlife-area-and-visitors-center-birding-opportunities
Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
When it comes to where to shoot along the Rock River, I tend to concentrate on the area between Rockford and Dixon IL, as this area is close to my home. The bridge below the dam in Oregon is where I've had the most success. There are 3 eagle nests between Rockford and Dixon, so there is always a chance that I'll spot an eagle as I drive along the river. Castle Rock State Park gives one an opportunity for landscape and wildlife shots, as well as a great overlook of the river.
I most often shoot eagle at 1/2000 f8, auto ISO, using evaluative metering, on either my Canon 5D Mark IV or my Canon 7D. Depending on the background, lighting, I will bump up the exposure compensation. My post processing is done with Canon's Digital Photo Processing software, which allows me to fine tune the exposure. I don't have Lightroom or Photoshop so I can't get real fancy with my processing techniques.
Here's a few shots from last Friday, when I went over the Mississippi River, between Savanna IL and Sabula IA. All shots were with my 5D Mark IV, Canon 400 f5.6L + 1.4x Canon Teleconverter.
1/2000, f8, ISO 800, +1/3EV.
1/2000, f8, ISO 500, +1/3 EV.
1/2000, f8, ISO 640, +1 EV.
1/2000, f8, ISO 500.
The lighting conditions changes quite a bit during my time there. It'd be bright blue sky, gray clouds, white clouds and even a few minutes of snow flurries. I'd have the sun and my back, in my face, at my side....as the birds refused to follow my directions.
Some bird shots from last week, while over at the Mississippi.
All shots with my Canon 5D Mark IV, 400mm f/5.6L + 1.4x teleconverter @ 1/2000, f8, auto ISO.
I was out on the motorcycle yesterday, but had my camera along for the ride.
I stopped at the Sabula / Savanna bridge, over the Mississippi River at about 5pm. I figured I'd sit for a bit and see if anything good presented itself. Turns out a bald eagle swooped down and snagged a fish out of the river.....but it was pretty far away. I took a series of shots, but there is quite a bit about the series I don't like: 1) High ISO 2) Heavy cropping 3) Not tack sharp, but here's a few of the cropped images anyway.
Someday I'll have that happen closer to me, and require little to no crop.....I hope, I hope, I hope.
Was on a Harley ride yesterday, took a break at Lock and Dam 13, north of Fulton, along the Mississippi River and saw a few White Egrets.
Love the 4th image.
Musings & ramblings at https://denisegoldberg.blogspot.com