Yesterday’s Completely Unexpected Bald Eagles

Very large numbers of Bald Eagles winter in Utah but only a handful of mated pairs (up to about a dozen) are known to stick around and spend the breeding season here. All the rest breed up north. Which is why I was very surprised to find at least four Bald Eagles yesterday in the west desert.

 

The first Bald Eagles I saw yesterday morning were buried in a large tree nearly a quarter of a mile away. I saw at least three of them in the tree and flying around it but they were calling to each other and it sounded like there may have been more than just the three I could see.

At least one of them, this one, was an adult and I saw an immature bird in flight close to the tree.

I tried to watch them through my lens for a while but most of the time I could barely see any of them so eventually I continued on down the remote dirt/gravel road to look for other birds. But a few minutes later I turned around and came back, on the off chance that one or more of the eagles would come closer to the road.

I got lucky.

 

 

1/6400, f/5.6, ISO 640, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in

One eagle, an immature bird, was perched at the top of a cliff close to the road and in good light. This bird had probably been there the entire time but while I was driving the other way it would have been nearly impossible for me to see it.

 

 

1/5000, f/5.6, ISO 500, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in

I cropped this photo as I have in an attempt to show as best I could that this bird was perched very near to the top of a steep cliff. Below the plant at lower left, the cliff drops off vertically.

 

 

1/5000, f/5.6, ISO 500, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in

When ‘he’ eventually took off…

 

 

1/5000, f/5.6, ISO 500, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in

most of my early flight shots didn’t include a catch light in his eye. But six photos after this one…

 

 

1/4000, f/5.6, ISO 500, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in

I began to get light in his eye as he…

 

 

1/5000, f/5.6, ISO 500, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in

began to drop over the edge of the cliff. I got quite a few more flight shots after this one but most of them were just a hair soft, so I’m not including any of them.

I found these birds in an area where I often see Bald Eagles in midwinter, but it isn’t hyperbole to say that I was shocked to find them there yesterday, the first day of fall. With birds you just never know.

Ron