I normally don't do birds, long story short, they frighten me. No really! However, there is something about the Eagle that intrigues me. I have been trying for a while to catch some in flight. I think I'm getting there, what do you think?
Eagles LIVE
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I second that. I'd also like to know, how far away were you?
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I have been photographing our local urban eagles for the past five years. You can see my photos on various threads in the Wildlife & Animals forum.
Eagles are a good bird to start your avian photo experience. Being a protected species at the top of the food chain, they are quite tolerant of your presence as long as they are not on the ground. They will perch in one spot for quite some time, which allows you to experiment with different camera settings. They do more gliding than rapid wing beating, so you can shoot them at relatively slow speeds when lighting is an issue, which it is more often than not up here in our far corner of the Pacific North Wet.
Their large size and slow movements is very easy for your auto focus system to pick up. There is quite a contrast between an adult eagle's dark body feathers and bright white head and tail feathers. Experiment with spot metering and various degrees of exposure compensation. There are eagles by the dozens for you to practice shooting on the nearby Samish flats. A tree located where the Samish River flows into Samish Bay near Edison is called "the eagle tree" because it is always full of eagles.
My personal philosophy with bird (and other nature) photos is that I am more interested in documenting their presence and behavior than creating the perfect bird book or contest winning photo.
Eagles are a good bird to start your avian photo experience. Being a protected species at the top of the food chain, they are quite tolerant of your presence as long as they are not on the ground. They will perch in one spot for quite some time, which allows you to experiment with different camera settings. They do more gliding than rapid wing beating, so you can shoot them at relatively slow speeds when lighting is an issue, which it is more often than not up here in our far corner of the Pacific North Wet.
Their large size and slow movements is very easy for your auto focus system to pick up. There is quite a contrast between an adult eagle's dark body feathers and bright white head and tail feathers. Experiment with spot metering and various degrees of exposure compensation. There are eagles by the dozens for you to practice shooting on the nearby Samish flats. A tree located where the Samish River flows into Samish Bay near Edison is called "the eagle tree" because it is always full of eagles.
My personal philosophy with bird (and other nature) photos is that I am more interested in documenting their presence and behavior than creating the perfect bird book or contest winning photo.
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Nice shots Jan, where were you shooting?
I'm trying to figure out where the eagles are this year. I have several friends on FB who frequent the Nooksack. They tell me the salmon run is pretty much over and the count is down. The same for Rockport. They haven't posted last weekend's yet, but the previous week was down to a dismal 100 eagles. Yes, that's still a lot, but they're spread over a wide area and it's small compared to 300 or more counts they're used to this time of year.
We visited the Puyallup and Carbon this weekend. Saw none on the Carbon, and about a half dozen had been seen on the Puyallup. That's probably the resident flock for the most part.
So, where are they hiding? Have they headed back north to BC? On the way to Alaska? Further south maybe?
I'm trying to figure out where the eagles are this year. I have several friends on FB who frequent the Nooksack. They tell me the salmon run is pretty much over and the count is down. The same for Rockport. They haven't posted last weekend's yet, but the previous week was down to a dismal 100 eagles. Yes, that's still a lot, but they're spread over a wide area and it's small compared to 300 or more counts they're used to this time of year.
We visited the Puyallup and Carbon this weekend. Saw none on the Carbon, and about a half dozen had been seen on the Puyallup. That's probably the resident flock for the most part.
So, where are they hiding? Have they headed back north to BC? On the way to Alaska? Further south maybe?
Bills comments on eagles are spot on. They're a great way to experiment with bird photography. They're relatively easy to find, and very easy to identify. They're large enough that you don't need a $10K telephoto lens, and many of them that frequent urban areas are very tolerant of people. Deb and I photographed one on the Puyallup and he just sat in the tree watching us as we shot from across the river. He knew that we weren't likely to cross it, and even if we did, he'd have plenty of time to fly off before we got close.
photographmemories
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I second that. I'd also like to know, how far away were you?
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Have they all headed to Squamish BC?
http://www.brackendaleartgallery.com/EagleCount.html
http://www.piquenewsmagazine.com/wh...-counters-spot-1600-birds/Content?oid=2542168
http://www.brackendaleartgallery.com/EagleCount.html
http://www.piquenewsmagazine.com/wh...-counters-spot-1600-birds/Content?oid=2542168
You can always find eagles on Fir Island and on Norman Road along the Stillaguamish River roughly between Silvana and Stanwood.
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