Yesterday morning we finally had some light around here and I even found some beautiful birds to take advantage of it. This Golden Eagle is one of them.
Only minutes after dawn we spotted a large group of ravens among the sagebrush and not far from the road. When that happens I always suspect they’re on carrion and wonder if a raptor or two might be among them so I slowed my pickup to check them out as I got closer. Before I noticed them on the ground two Golden Eagles lifted off and flew to the west and very close to the ground. By the time I pulled over and angled my pickup properly near what appeared to be a dead rabbit in the snow-covered sage the eagles were flying away from me and a little too far away for decent photos.
But then something wonderful happened. Both eagles, while still flying only a few feet above the ground, banked steeply in the air as they turned to fly back in my general direction.
1/1600, f/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
Luckily I chose this one to focus on. In this shot I caught the eagle at a perfect angle to expose “his” entire ventral surface to the beautiful warm light and still give me eye contact and a catch light. Though it may (or may not) look like he’s flying above me with storm clouds behind him I was actually shooting horizontally. We see mostly snow covered sage in the lower background and mountains in the upper background.
I made no color/tonal/saturation adjustments to the image during processing.
I love the photo but as usual it isn’t perfect. Once again (just like the previous morning with the female kestrel I posted yesterday) I was having difficulty getting sharp shots all morning and this one is a tad short of tack sharp but it’s the sharpest in the series.
I believe I know why I’ve been having trouble getting sharp shots on these cold mornings recently and it’s related to temperature.
This was the outside temperature six minutes after I took the previous eagle photo.
So I was sticking my warm (presumed 70°) lens out my window and into air that was 64° colder than that so it may have been contraction of glass and other lens components in the extreme cold that caused the softness. But there’s another more likely possibility that’s also temperature related. When I stop my pickup in extreme cold to photograph birds out my window I can often see heat waves rising up in front of me from the exhaust system of my vehicle. Those heat waves were often visible yesterday and shooting through them is a recipe for soft photos.
Unusually cold temperatures are a two-edged sword for me because they usually bring more migrating raptors to northern Utah and cold makes them “sticky” (reluctant to fly off as I approach). But there’s a flip side. Extreme cold often makes getting sharp shots much more difficult when I’m shooting from my pickup.
Believe it or not I saw an even dozen Golden Eagles yesterday in a 2 1/2 hour time frame. Two or three of them may have been counted twice (same general area a couple of hours apart) but that’s still a one day record for me with Golden Eagles. One of them didn’t even fly off when I drove past within 25′ of it.
It was a “golden” kind of morning for both eagles and light.
Ron
Note:
The answer is “yes” to both obvious questions about the last photo:
- Yes, the calendar on my pickup needs to be reset. I don’t pay any attention to it so I just don’t think about resetting it.
- Yes, that’s dust you see. Lots of it. I could probably plant potatoes on my dashboard. I even tried to clean the screen with my finger before I took the photo. Dust comes with the territory when you drive as many miles on dirt roads as I do. I’ve learned to live with it.
I teach H.S. biology and was searching for photos of reverse sexual dimorphism. One of your photos came up on google images (GH Owls) and it lead to me finding this blog. I also live in Utah, am a reformed birder but now would rather teach than pursue a rarity. I am also contemplating (68) retirement. Your photo ethics are admirable and your photos are beautiful. Speaking of ethics, I was photographing Coyotes on Antelope Island last winter and stopped to watch several coyotes working on a dead deer. On my return from the ranch, the coyotes were still on it but somebody had dragged corpse right up to the road. Yikes. I have not read your photo sharing policy yet so I did not use any of your images.
Beautiful warm light on a cold day. My problem here in south Florida is the humidity. Unless I store the camera out in the garage overnight instead of my air-conditioned home, the lens can fog up and look like ground glass.
Great for you to finally see so many eagles. I hope you had a beautiful day. I still feel cold air is thicker and harder to get sharp photos. I have started keeping a temperature record at the time of the photos. I am not always in my car when I photograph so I can’t blame heat waves in all cases. I am starting to see a pattern of less sharp photos in around 20 degrees and less.
Interesting theory, April. On the flip side I have friends who don’t have a problem with it in temps much colder than we ever see here (when they’re not shooting from a warm vehicle). But then they cool down their camera and lens first to get temps relatively even.
All I can say is wow. I agree with Dave, magnificent shot.
Thanks, Jean.
What a magnificent shot of a magnificent eagle, really inspiring. Congrats on your Golden Eagle bonanza day, I think we’re all very happy for you and certainly envious too. I know I am, but you don’t get there without hard work and determination, crazy or not.
Hell, I’m envious of myself, Dave. It makes me want to make the same trip again tomorrow and repeat the experience. This time with sharper shots though. Thank you.
For me a shot like that would make my whole winter! Magnificent, majestic raptor. Thanks
Well, it contributed significantly to my winter too. Thank you, John.
Oh, to be out there with so many specimens of my favorite raptor! The “green factor” is very high today. 😉 Looks like this one definitely got something to nosh on — I see some blood on the beak and maybe a little something hanging from the front. Given all the cold issues, this is a pretty spectacular shot!
Marty, I’m pretty sure both eagles had been tearing into that rabbit. I’m just a little surprised one of them didn’t take off with it.
SIGH….so beautiful….
Thanks, Patty. I know how you love Golden Eagles.
I sure do!!! And this is a beauty!!!
That’s a nice shot! I’ve never had the pleasure of seeing a Golden Eagle, but perhaps one day. Extreme cold and trying to shoot from a vehicle has ruined many a shot for me, also. I leave my heat off and rely only on my heated seat, but still, when the Jeep is turned off and the lens goes out the window, there are temperatures mixing from inside to out, as well as the heat coming up from under the hot Jeep. I experience that same “soft” issue, when shooting over open water, in subzero temps. It took me a long time to stop blaming myself for this phenomenon, but I’m convinced that it occurs. I once photographed a Great Gray Owl from the Jeep, in the middle of a huge blizzard. I let all 4 windows down, to neutralize the temps very quickly, with a high wind at my face carrying away exhaust system heat and despite my Jeep filling up with snow for the next hour, I had no focus issues. We can’t always control it, but it’s a good thing for any serious wildlife photographer to be aware of. I’d take your “tad short” shot and be happy! 🙂
That’s quite a story of shooting the owl from your Jeep. Everett. No one can say bird photographers aren’t crazy… 🙂
My only opportunity to ever see a Great Gray here in NY, a four hour drive, with a pending nor-eastern blizzard to hit by 10:00AM, was a small price to pay. The best part was all the people who had come to see it, quickly left when the blizzard hit, leaving me all by myself with the owl, who graciously perched and hunted right outside my window. It was a nail biting, long ride home, but I’m sure glad I went for it. I prefer to consider myself determined, rather than crazy…
Determinedly crazy…? 🙂
What a photo. Golden in spades. A rare sighting here, so nice to know they are “common” there.
Wait a hundred years or so and you might not have to worry about the temperature differential.
Lyle, I don’t think they’re considered common anywhere, at least not officially. That’s why I was so surprised to see that many.
What a WONDERFUL start to the day.
Yours and mine this morning. Dawn is over an hour off, and I hope to also get good light (but will not get eagles).
EC, I also hear that you’re supposed to have record heat today. I wish you luck with that and with the fires.
Thank you.
We are going to have a few very hot days, and the fires still burn. The State closest to me has lost an area bigger than Wales already.
you are a master at getting that truck into the right position quickly enough to get the shot. I try with my vehicle but am not agile enough. Great shot.
Deedee, my training ground was Farmington. I’ve done some very “creative driving” out there… 🙂
Wow I think it is a wonderful picture of a flying Golden Eagle. I know my little camera has problems when I take it out in the cold too. Have a good week.
Thank you, Trudy.
That’s a sweet flight shot of this Golden Eagle, such an iconic bird as well! I too have encountered problems shooting from a vehicle on cold days and suffered the consequences of reduced sharpness. Hey, you need to change the date on your trucks’s calendar, 2014 lol.
Cold days are a pain in that way, Gary. That’s one of the times I hope for a slight breeze because it often solves the heat wave problem. I explained why I haven’t reset my calendar in my post.
Beautiful photo, Ron!
Thanks, Shelley.
OUTSTANDING !!!
Thank you, Jeffrey.
Such a majestic bird! I like everything from the look of the ‘wind-blown’ lighter head feathers to that fanned tail and tightly tucked talons! 😍 And great lighting and background coloring to show him off appropriately.
Those little waves of heat sure do mess with your photos. When I see people shooting over the hood of their vehicle I often wonder how they clean them up. I’ll keep my seat heater on high and the interior heater off to try and cut down on the difference in temp when I stop and open the window…course then all heat is off so everything gets cold in a few minutes! 😏 Just another challenge of the day.
Kathy, My pickup has lots of bells and whistles (too many) but a seat heater is one thing I don’t have and sometimes wish I did.
This one’s perfect in my eyes, Ron–thanks for sharing–what a wondrous sight ☺️
Thanks very much, Christine. A little sharper would be nice but I’ll take it!
WOW! Just jaw dropping gorgeous! 🙂 Wonderful to be able to capture the eagle and to see many more after little bird luck for “awhile”. Guessing you’re right on the temperature difference and soft photos. Equipment (and us) tend to take exception to that! 😉 I’ll take that photo any day regardless!
“Equipment (and us) tend to take exception to that!”
Boy, that’s for sure. When I’m shooting in the miserable cold I often remind myself that I could be trying to do the same thing in your neck of the woods. “Cold” is relative, especially compared to Montana cold. And I seldom have to deal with much wind. Thanks, Judy.
What good fortune on a very cold morning to have him turn back toward you and get that full frame shot with the sun shining right on him. Beautiful shot and bird. I would guess that you are right about the effect of the cold temperature as you expose that warm lens and start to take photos.
Everett, that shot isn’t full frame but it isn’t a big crop either. I always look forward to the extreme cold but there’s a price to pay. Several of them…