Eagles frustrate me!

greenpea

Every year I make the 2 hour drive from my house to the tiny town of Marblemount Washington to try and photograph the migratory eagles. Every year the pictures come out rather pathetic. On this year’s trip I even convinced fellow dgrinner PaulThomasMcKee to join me in the snow, rain and mud to photograph the elusive eagles at extreme distances. Paul commented that he often gets closer to eagles from his kitchen window, as he lifted up the giant rented 600mm lens trying to photograph a eagle far off across the Skagit River.

Yesterday while driving home from skiing, I spot two beautiful bald eagles just sitting in a tree over looking Puget Sound. One eagle was a bit camera shy, but the other fellow was more than willing to let me take all the pictures I wanted, but of course this time I didn’t have a rented big sweet monster lens.

So why is it eagles are most readily available to me ONLY when the best lens I can pull out can only give me 200mm at f5.6?

tamplum

Because they are twisted smart birds who enjoy messing with you.

It is a nice shot though

greenpea

tamplum wrote:

Because they are twisted smart birds who enjoy messing with you.

It is a nice shot though

Thanks!

I think the eagles are just trying to tell me that I really need to buy that new Nikon 500mm VR so I can have it with me all the time.

Harryb

Thta's not a bad capture. Birds are just plain evil, they work hard at being backlit and when they fly off they always make sure that the only shot is a butt shot. We're lucky to capture what we do capture considering the lack of cooperation we get from our models. :cry

greenpea

Harryb wrote:

Thta's not a bad capture. Birds are just plain evil, they work hard at being backlit and when they fly off they always make sure that the only shot is a butt shot. We're lucky to capture what we do capture considering the lack of cooperation we get from our models. :cry

Thanks Harry! Seems like the only real luck I have with eagles is at the zoo, but where's the fun in that?

For now I guess I'll hold on to my zoo membership, keep saving up for that 500mm VR, and hoping for the occasional urban eagle that's willing to pose close enough to capture with a slow 200mm and a lot of cropping.

grimace

Save up for an airline ticket next Jan./Feb. for either Minneapolis or Chicago and join Davev, Gluwater and myself. We know where you can see 400 eagles at one time!!

That is if you don't mind getting hit by a dropped fish or two. :-)

zack75144

My sentiments exactly. I'm happy just to see an eagle down here in the South. I've have managed a few shots from a distance, but have to seriously crop just to bring them into view.
I'd gladly trade egrets, herons and pelicans for a few more eagles, any takers?

dbaker1221

it's a good capture

greenpea

Yesterday I saw what was probably the same eagle I photographed on another nearby tree (unfortunately I didn't have an opportunity to photograph him this time). It's seems as if most neighborhoods in Seattle now have there very own eagle, you just need to know where and when to look.

grimace wrote:

Save up for an airline ticket next Jan./Feb. for either Minneapolis or Chicago and join Davev, Gluwater and myself. We know where you can see 400 eagles at one time!!

That is if you don't mind getting hit by a dropped fish or two. :-)

Minneapolis or Chicago in Jan/Feb? sounds cold. Maybe you guys should put together some sort of formal shootout.

Around the same time of the year hundreds of eagles come to the nearby Skagit River, last year the count was nearly 900 eagles, this year it didn't break 300. So for me its always been an issue of timing and luck, neither of which has panned out for me in the past, so maybe it is time to check out the eagles of the midwest.

dbaker1221 wrote:

it's a good capture

Thanks!