An eagle is an eagle...

Jeffro

I took a drive over to the Rock River, in Oregon Illinois, this morning to see if I could get a shot or two of a Bald Eagle. The temp was below zero, with wind chills in the -15 to -20 range....ouch.

I bundled up and headed out. I located 10-12 eagles, but they were not that close to shore. I had to put the 2x teleconveter on my 300L F4 IS, to have a chance at all. I ventured out of my warm Jeep.....second guessing myself, and remembering my warm bed.

Just as I approached the shore a police car, with siren howling, crossed the bridge, which is pretty close to the island the eagles tree's are on. Guess what.....they all flew off. :huh

A couple came back, but taking flight photos the "old school" way....(manual focus), plus hand held was not the ideal way, especially when you remember this is a 600mm set up....and I was shivering my butt off.

I could only manage 5-10 minutes out of the Jeep at a time....my eye lashes were freezing, and that made it hard to see.:D

I only took about 30 shots, and only got one that I even cared for. Here it is (full frame uncropped):



Here it is cropped, just so you can get a better look:



It's not a prize winning shot....but it's mine!:D I'll try again, when the temps get back above zero!

I'm posting this extreme crop:



...So you can get an even closer look. I shot this at ISO 400 1/1600 MF. Being hand held, and shivering, I figured I better get some shutter speed!

Maestro

Eagle shots are tough. Well that has been my experience because they rarely venture close enough to you even with a telephoto lens. Considering the conditions you did well. Perhaps some post-processing could bring out the feathers more, but not sure. But like you said, you have an eagle shot. Many never get the chance.

saurora

Hey Jeffro, I'll give you credit for leaving a warm bed to deal with freezing eyelashes!!! Hope they thawed. Nice eagle, I think you are lucky to be able to see them, let alone capture them on your camera. Nice blue sky at least!

Jeffro

Maestro wrote:

Eagle shots are tough. Well that has been my experience because they rarely venture close enough to you even with a telephoto lens. Considering the conditions you did well. Perhaps some post-processing could bring out the feathers more, but not sure. But like you said, you have an eagle shot. Many never get the chance.

I don't think I can get anymore detail in the feathers, without blowing out the rest of the pic. Thanks for the !

sauroa wrote:

Hey Jeffro, I'll give you credit for leaving a warm bed to deal with freezing eyelashes!!! Hope they thawed. Nice eagle, I think you are lucky to be able to see them, let alone capture them on your camera. Nice blue sky at least!

The cold just made my eyes water instantly...sucked. I'm none the worse for the wear though. The temps are climing, so I may venture back out later today. Hopefully the sun will stay out all day.

Thanks for the from you too....:D

I added another crop of the post above, it's just the eagle. I figured I'd crop it to give others an idea how the 300L f4 with the 2x tc attached performed.

BIG BROTHER

I can't say I envy your weather, but I do like your eagle shots.

____
Jim

Jeffro

BIG BROTHER wrote:

I can't say I envy your weather, but I do like your eagle shots.

I don't know anyone who is in envy of our weather.

Anyone? Anyone?

Last night the weather people were talking more snow....but it ain't here....yet.

Oh, and thanks Jim.

Art Scott

nice shot(s)...I know the anguish...even tho I have them nearly in my back yard I can't get close enuff with my 70-210 and 2x to get good shots....just yester day I had spent almost an hour slowing walking down the Rivers edge sneaking upon atrio of BE's ( I am in full camo) slowly manuevering from tree to tree then out in the open I crawl along like a big green snail..just as I am getting to where they are not covered by branches I ease to a stnading position, just in time to see a car stop and a guy jump out slam his door and run to the tree with his P/S....they all flew off before my monopod hit the ground .....I was furious and if it hadn't been for the fact that there is a Police Sub-station in the park, I woulda left him bloody for bird bait......instead he got my YOU"RE NUMBER 1 ON MY LIST hand sign and I left to cry in my sassparilla tea....................

dbaker1221

good job do you have a lock & dam around you? They really hang out there & catch fish off the rollers. I think you are only about an hour away from the Mississippi. if you hit the Fulton area or LeClaire area, Quad Cities,
Lock & dam 13 & 14 are not too bad.

this was taken at lock & dam 13 between Fulton & where I grew up Thomson. I kept it small as not to steal your thread.

most sit across the river but there is a nest on the IL side & one eagle sat right by the dam building. At lock 14 you can catch them flying through , they like to sit in the bluffs at night. have not been to lock 15 in the QC's yet. I hoping in a few weeks.

dbaker1221

Art Scott wrote:

nice shot(s)...I know the anguish...even tho I have them nearly in my back yard I can't get close enuff with my 70-210 and 2x to get good shots....just yester day I had spent almost an hour slowing walking down the Rivers edge sneaking upon atrio of BE's ( I am in full camo) slowly manuevering from tree to tree then out in the open I crawl along like a big green snail..just as I am getting to where they are not covered by branches I ease to a stnading position, just in time to see a car stop and a guy jump out slam his door and run to the tree with his P/S....they all flew off before my monopod hit the ground .....I was furious and if it hadn't been for the fact that there is a Police Sub-station in the park, I woulda left him bloody for bird bait......instead he got my YOU"RE NUMBER 1 ON MY LIST hand sign and I left to cry in my sassparilla tea....................

cdonovan

Art Scott wrote:

nice shot(s)...I know the anguish...even tho I have them nearly in my back yard I can't get close enuff with my 70-210 and 2x to get good shots....just yester day I had spent almost an hour slowing walking down the Rivers edge sneaking upon atrio of BE's ( I am in full camo) slowly manuevering from tree to tree then out in the open I crawl along like a big green snail..just as I am getting to where they are not covered by branches I ease to a stnading position, just in time to see a car stop and a guy jump out slam his door and run to the tree with his P/S....they all flew off before my monopod hit the ground .....I was furious and if it hadn't been for the fact that there is a Police Sub-station in the park, I woulda left him bloody for bird bait......instead he got my YOU"RE NUMBER 1 ON MY LIST hand sign and I left to cry in my sassparilla tea....................

:cry The exact emotions i went through reading your story!

Jeffro

dbaker1221 wrote:

good job do you have a lock & dam around you? They really hang out there & catch fish off the rollers. I think you are only about an hour away from the Mississippi. if you hit the Fulton area or LeClaire area, Quad Cities,Lock & dam 13 & 14 are not too bad. Most sit across the river but there is a nest on the IL side & one eagle sat right by the dam building. At lock 14 you can catch them flying through , they like to sit in the bluffs at night. have not been to lock 15 in the QC's yet. I hoping in a few weeks.

It's been a few years since I have been over to the locks. I took this one back on 021404, with my Digital Rebel and an el cheapo 75-300 Canon zoom....which is since long gone.



Every white dot, is a Bald Eagle. There were at least 300 eagles on that day, and 20 photogs. I am going to try and get over to the locks next weekend, unless it's 20 below. I've got better equipment now, and better knowledge of digital workflow, so hopefully I'll be able to capture somthing nice. My luck it will warm up, and all the birds will head north...

Harryb

Nice work insome very difficult conditions.

Jeffro

Harryb wrote:

Nice work insome very difficult conditions.

Thanks Harry...and happy belated birthday.

Jeffro

Well this thread dropped off to no mans land, so I figured I'd bump it myself, before I pull the photos. When it gets pushed back to no mans land, I'm going to delete the shots...just an FYI!