To say I was excited to get this two shot series is an understatement. A later event took the shine off of one of the images for me but at the time I didn’t know what the future would bring.
They were taken at Farmington Bay WMA in February of 2011 and back then my flight shot skills were sorely lacking so to get even a short series like this was usually way out of my reach. When I first started photographing birds my attempted flight shots were so dreadful that I mostly quit trying for almost two years. But who could resist a Bald Eagle snagging a fish out of water? Not me, so I tried and this time it worked out.
- I posted both of these photos way back in May of 2011 but many current blog followers have never seen them as a series. And besides, looking back at that original post I was far from happy with how I had processed them (my processing skills were about as primitive as my flight shot skills) so I’ve reprocessed them for this edition of Feathered Photography.
1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
In those days managers at the refuge were killing invasive carp with rotenone and this fish may have been stunned or possibly even dead when the eagle snatched it out of the water, though in my original post I said that it appeared to still be alive so it must have been flopping and squirming, at least a little. Whatever the case I was sure happy to get an action shot like this that early in my photography “career”.
1/2500, f/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
In the next shot in the burst the fish is completely out of the water but I think the wing position of the eagle is a little less dramatic and this shot isn’t quite as sharp as the previous one.
As much as I like that first photo I always have very mixed feelings when I see it. I’ve mentioned the following incident before but this time I’m including many more details – skip it if it’s old news to you or you don’t have the interest.
About a year after I took these photos a Systems Administrator for the AV8B Harrier program at China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station in California requested to use several of my images for use in computer systems for training Marine Harrier pilots. He requested to use 7 Northern Harrier and Bald Eagle images and the first shot above was one of them. Typically I only donate images for public education or conservation purposes (for other types of image requests I require a licensing fee) but since this request was from the military I made an exception and donated the images. My only condition was that he send me copies of the final graphics he worked up for use in the program (I often make similar requests to have a memento and to have a record of how my images are used). He enthusiastically agreed to that condition so I sent him the photos.
After sending them I waited six weeks for him to send me the final graphics that included my images. When I heard nothing back in that time I emailed him on November 16, 2012 and reminded him of our agreement. His response was “Things are still in the works. But I have not forgotten about you. I’ll get things out to you when it’s complete.” Given the situation that seemed reasonable to me so I sat back and waited. And waited. I decided to not contact him again and see if he eventually lived up to his end of the bargain because I got the very distinct impression that he wasn’t happy about being “reminded”.
Well, it’s now been about 5 1/2 years and I still haven’t received the graphics or heard a peep out of him.
So much for keeping your word…
Ron
I captured a series of photos recently of a pair of bald eagles “sharing” a sea bass. these photos are the first part of that story. Amazing captures!
Wow, these are beyond fantastic, Ron!
I would love to see them in the original post to see the difference but don’t know really how. When I do any kind of search I only get about 4 posts and then endless next page links. It would take forever to get back to 2011. Any advice?
Clarification… mostly I struggles with searches by species. But even this type – going by the archives calendar links on the right I can’t find that post and the search only brings back two posts and then the Older Entries next page control.
Here’s the link to that earlier post, Art.
https://www.featheredphotography.com/blog/2011/05/22/bald-eagles-at-farmington-bay/
The differences are subtle but they’re there. For example, notice the bright pixelated area on the rear of the upper edge of the lower bill in that first image (#4202) in the older post. Sharpening sometimes does that with bright narrow lines so in the newly processed version I took that area of the beak out of the sharpening mask which largely solved the problem.
How infuriating… EC’s nephew grew up in Ridgecrest and his dad, EC’s brother, worked at China Lake naval base… so disappointing –
Yes, it was maddening, Nicky. But more than not getting the graphics I was disappointed in my fellow man.
Just catching up after being off the grid this past week. Hung out in Laura’s and Everett’s territory of Northern Arizona. Absolutely beautiful! I didn’t have any bird encounters as amazing as your shots, Ron (you keep selling yourself short — these are spectacular). I did get to see a gorgeous Red Tail riding some updrafts at the Grand Canyon; the afternoon light really made those feathers shine! The next day I got to see my very first Swainson’s (a dark morph) just above the old mining town of Jerome. I have to thank you, Ron, because without you and your blog, I’d never have known how to ID a Swainson’s nor just how exciting a find it was!
We missed you, Marty!
Glad you had a great time and that you saw at least a few birds. Also glad to know my blog was helpful to you for ID.
Thanks, Ron. I had a great time. I’ve never been to the Grand Canyon and it is, indeed, one hell of a hole in the ground! 😉
I haven’t seen it since I was a little kid. I’ve been very close on the North Rim though…
Susan, in our aversion to foreigners (non-natives, aliens, invasives) we often do more harm than good. Invasion Biology is still an emerging science and most current practice is based on some unsupported and unscientific statements made by certain influential ecologists decades ago. Looked at objectively, almost all species currently occupy geographic ranges outside where they originated, and were therefore “invasive” at some point in their evolutionary history. (The comparatively rare exceptions are called “endemics.”) Read “Where do Camels Belong?” by Ken Thompson for another view.
Interesting perspective, Tim. But when they disperse to new areas naturally I don’t think they’re referred to as invasive species…
Must say the Bald eagle is my all time favorite. I’ve yet to see our nearby pair fishing. My husband on the other hand has witnessed it many times, so jealous ‼️
Has for people not keeping their word, no patience for that….
Hope your having a good weekend 😃
Diana, for me the best weekends are the ones that are behind me (because the crowds “out there” thin out during mid-week)… 🙂
What a beautiful bird! These flight shots are terrific.
Sorry to hear about your bad experience when someone does not stand up to their word. You don’t deserve to be treated that way.
Thank you, Ron
Thanks on both counts, Alice.
How I wish we didn’t continue to ‘introduce things’ (by accident or design) and then feel the need to kill them. And too often other things too.
Sadness and grumps aside, what an incredible privilege to see an eagle capture a fish – and then to capture the eagle in the process.
Your ‘fledgling skills’ put this happy snapper to serious shame.
You’re absolutely right about introduced species, EC. Humans have been just horrible about doing that for centuries.
Fantastic photos Ron. That guy probably sold them to the Chinese Navy or maybe their equivalent of our Nat Geo. As others have mentioned I still long for one of those shots. I have been going to our Lynx Lake for over 12 years where we always have a pair of eagles and their juveniles for about nine months of the year, but have never seen an eagle go fishing. I am generally there by 6 am and stay for a couple hours and over the years have also gone at later times during the day. Now I could cheat and go on one of the days they stock the lake, but that is pretty much the same as baiting.
Everett Sanborn, Prescott AZ
Thanks, Everett. As every bird photographer knows there’s lots of luck involved in getting shots like these. Gotta be at the right place at the right time…
WONDERFUL! With all the eagle watching I have done, have seldom seen this…and even so, did not see the fish actually caught….great shots!!!
Thanks very much, Patty. Usually when I’ve seen it it’s been from a much greater distance than I was from this bird.
Of course I had to peek at the past pictures…those are some spectacular photos even if you you say your flight shot skills were ‘sorely lacking’. I think most of us would be thrilled to achieve that level. Really like the reprocessed look…something I must learn, perhaps a class this winter and then I can get away from only jpeg. The various detailed layers of feathers really stand out in these photos…beautiful. Until I started this hobby all I really saw were feathers…not the detail.
I’d encourage you to “get away from only jpeg” as soon as you can, Kathy. When I first started bird photography I shot jpeg for a few months and now when I have to go back and process one of those shots I absolutely hate it.
I’d write to the CO of the program. That’s not right. Love these images!
Thank you, Arwen.
Excellent shots and a very interesting post, doesn’t cause much enthusiasm for how you were treated. Send the b…. a bill, and see what happens! He should have communicated with you if there was some logical reason he couldn’t keep his word.
Rotenone – man, I didn’t realize that was used to kill fish! Between the huge, very huge plastic debris floating in the Pacific and all the chemicals we use on the environment, how in hell will future generations survive on this planet? It is really a cause for worry especially due to this countries present state of mind.
It’s been used to kill fish since the 1950’s I believe, Dick – usually invasive ones.
Learn something new every day!m
Is it specific to one species of fish? Or will it kill any fish that feeds on what Rotenone is attached to?
Hi Ron,
Just drinking a cuppa coffee, catching up on your blog. I love these spectacular photographs! You must have been thrilled making them and I can see why the Naval Air people would like them – that eagle looks so iconic! It’s too bad you’ve never heard from them again and about the Rotenone 🙁 What a world.
Yup, “thrilled” to say the least! Especially back then. Thanks, Joanne.
VERY cool shots! Getting some action shots of a Bald Eagle fish snatch is at the very top of my photography bucket list and these shots inspire me even further. I regularly see, and photograph 2 adults and a juvenile at our local lake but have had zero luck being at the right place at the right time but I am not giving up. Worth the pursuit! Thanks for the great inspirational shots.
Thank you, Dave. I wish you luck with your quest!
I like both of the photos, but am very disturbed by the possibility of rotenone being involved. Does that affect a bird that eats a fish which has been killed by it? I understand killing invasive things (plants or animals), but sometimes wonder if dealing with the invasives has a negative effect on anything that might be eating the invasive thing.
No, Susan – it doesn’t effect birds that eat the fish. Rotenone works by preventing oxygen taken in through the gills from being utilized by cellular respiration. It isn’t absorbed into the body from the skin or the digestive tract so it has no significant effect on birds or mammals at these concentrations.
Thanks for the reassurance. I’m glad to know that rotenone use is safe for birds.
Very Nice photos. I am still working on flight shots. I have a hard time keeping the focus on the birds, it often goes to the background.
I am afraid with all the changes in Farmington Bay the best days of birding are in the past. I wish I had untold funds to purchase up land to protect some of my favorite wild areas to protect from development. I am happy the dumping of fish from other lakes has stopped in order to bait the Bald Eagles. I don’t think the practice was healthy for the eagles or Farmington Bay.
Believe me, April – we’re ALL still working on flight shots!
When these shots were taken the refuge hadn’t yet started trucking in dead carp from other places to attract eagles. That started several years later. These fish were poisoned elsewhere on the refuge and then washed down in the canals to unit 1.
I did not know Rotenone killed insects in the water. Now you will have me reading up on the stuff.
Thanks for sharing the Bald Eagle with capture, it must have been a thrill to view! Sorry to hear of the “integrity” issue; a hard lesson to learn for trusting others regardless of their credentials. fortunately you didn’t loose out of pocket financials.
It certainly was a thrill, Donald – both to see it and to get the shots.
Give him another call. He probably will say “Ron who?” The processing certainly produced very crisp images. I have much to learn about this subject but also need better flight shots to work with in the first place.
Ken, I never had his phone number – we only communicated via email.
No matter how “good” we are image processing is always a work in progress, just like flight shot skills are.
Sensational shots, too bad about the disappointment.
Charlotte
Thank you, Charlotte.
Gorgeous! The Rotenone use I have mixed feelings about even if probably necessary in some cases…….:( The first photo is magnificent. 🙂 Too bad the jerk couldn’t live up to his end of the bargain – made promises he couldn’t keep perhaps? STILL 🙁
Judy, In many ways Rotenone isn’t as bad as many chemicals used for similar purposes but it still has its negative effects – including killing insects in the water.