When they’re not scavenging for food Bald Eagles can be fierce and opportunistic predators. But they’re big and relatively slow so catching live prey isn’t easy for them.
1/4000, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Five days ago while I was attempting to photograph ducks in flight along the Antelope Island causeway this near-adult Bald Eagle swooped in looking for duck for breakfast. ‘His’ sudden appearance on the scene caused thousands of ducks to rise up off the water in a panic but most of them were much too fast for him in flight and he knew it. He was looking for weakness – a duck that showed signs of injury or illness that would be slower, less agile and more vulnerable than the others, for whatever reason.
He seemed to have two strategies for detecting a duck that was acting differently than the others.
1/4000, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Sometimes he would fly horizontally and at speed through the flocks of ducks to test their reactions.
1/6400, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Other times he would quickly gain elevation above a mass of ducks in flight below him and then…
1/8000, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
dive down through the flock to test their reactions. He dove on them three or four times in the less than two minutes he was hunting them.
But on this hunting foray he never caught a duck so he…
1/6400, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
retired to a chunk of ice to the west of where all the ducks were congregating and watched them from a distance as he rested. To get this photo I had to drive about a quarter mile west along the causeway but he was still far out on the lake.
Only five days later this part of the causeway looks very different than it did on that morning. Most of the ducks are gone, as is the ice, and I haven’t seen an eagle in the area since I photographed this one.
Hopefully the ducks will soon be replaced by hordes of migrating shorebirds. Given the dire situation the Great Salt Lake is in that may or may not happen.
Ron
Magnificent photos with the eagle in super-sharp focus and the unfocused ducks recognizable but forming a patterned background. With a change of focus, you could tell a completely different story.
I really enjoyed this spectacular sequence!
It’s a challenge to capture the “essence” of raptor hunting like this as some of us (okay, me) tend to take a shot then look away instead of continuing to follow the hunter.
I know you’re have “fun” learning your new camera, but my goodness these are really nice photographs!
Thanks very much, Wally.
I don’t know how much “fun” I’m having learning the new camera BUT I did make a big step today in getting its very complicated autofocus settings (including animal and eye detection) working in a way I like
Love seeing all the markings that indicate the “almost-but-not-quite-adult” status of the Bald Eagle (and thank you for the education over the years that tells me this bird should be around 4 to 4-1/2). I feel bad that he didn’t get breakfast after all that hard work, but also am happy for the ducks to come out of those interactions relatively unscathed.
Whoops! Should have read through the comments first! I noticed your response to Everett about the eagle’s age — at least that says I’m in the right ballpark. 🙂
Marty, I think they can look like they have a dirty head when they’re this age. His head will look clean as a whistle after his next molt.
Great series! Shows how the life of a predator is not easy! Real nice photos… makes me think about splurging on the R5!
Thanks, Joanne. The R5 is definitely a splurge. And a complicated piece of gear.
Love the look on the Eagle’s face in the last photo: “I was only foolin’ around. Could of got one anytime.” He must have seen you watching.
Lyle, I think eagles see everything… 🙂
Funny 🙂
Thanks for the sequence.
You’re welcome.
Very nice series, Ron. Wondered if you gave any thought to increasing depth of field on the shots to sharpen focus on the background ducks. Due to the fast flying, this may not have been possible, but I would enjoy your expert opinion on the matter. Thanks!
Stephen, as far away as I was I had a reasonable amount of DOF (in actual distance) even at f/6.3.
Personally, in this situation I don’t think changing my aperture would have made much of a difference in getting the ducks sharper. And I’m OK with them being soft as long as the eagle is sharp.
Thanks, Ron. Makes perfect sense.
WOW! Wonderful shots of the Eagle, Ron. 🙂 He certainly looks “grumpy” perched on the ice chunk… 😉 Who could blame him – ton of energy expended for nothing…. They are beautiful and at the same time scruffty at that stage with with white in the body and dark in the head.
Yeah, he looked very disappointed out there on the ice. I waited for quite a while for him to try again but it didn’t happen while I was there.
Beautiful photos, Ron. My personal favorite is 1301. Those wings! So powerful. I love that you are still learning about your new camera and are able to take such wonderful photos with it. Thank you for bringing your world into my home.
Thanks, Melanie. I’m becoming convinced that I’ll be learning about my new camera for months.
A question: are you cropping now that you have 45MP to play with?
Douglas, I usually crop my images, no matter which camera I’m using. These photos were taken in 1.6 crop mode, a setting on the R5, and then the images were cropped some more. The eagle was always far away.
I should have worded that question differently. I know you struggled with moving on from the 7D Mk II, wondering what would give you a similar experience while losing the 1.6x crop factor. Do you plan on getting the 1.4x RF extender? I know that the MP take a hit down to 17MP when in crop mode. Just wondered if you planned on doing that in order to leave yourself more MP (45) to crop later if needed. Just curious is all.
Douglas, I’m already using a 1.4 tc (it’s included in my techs for these images). I can use the same one I’ve always used because I’m using an adapter with my EF 500mm lens.
Very interesting post Ron. Wonder if he or she is an older eagle? Hard to imagine that he could not find at least one or two vulnerable looking ducks among all of them. With all the ducks leaving the eagles are going to have to get back to fishing. Our lakes are very ice free here and the eagles are fishing non stop. Of course all our lakes are periodically stocked by the city or the Forest Service so that makes a difference.
Everett, he looks to be about 4 years old, nearly an adult. Notice that he still has some dark feathers on his head.