Tag: golden eagle

Golden Eagle In The Wind And Cold

It was a brutal morning on the island yesterday with 25 degree F temps, winds of over 4o mph, fresh snow and icy roads.  It was eerie-sounding to drive on the roads as the night before the snow had partially melted and then froze hard into a bumpy, icy and noisy sheet.  I knew there’d be no sneaking up on any birds because my pickup sounded like a freight train approaching on that crunchy ice.   The gulls were just about the only birds out and about.  They seemed to enjoy soaring in the wind but when they’d settle into the water they chose areas partially protected from the wind, like this cove where the causeway meets the island.       The night before the wind had pasted snow onto the sides of the bison and then it froze to their hides.  Some of them were mostly covered with ice.  This image and the next one should give regular readers of my blog some idea of why I occasionally grumble about all the dried sunflowers we have this year.  They make it virtually impossible to get a clear shot of any subject on the ground.       1/4000, f/5.6, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc We had just about resigned ourselves to being essentially “skunked” for the morning when we spotted this Golden Eagle not too far from the road.  It was feeding on what I assume was a jack-rabbit (it was relatively large and there are lots of them in the area) but of course it was buried in the sunflowers and I…

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Golden Eagle – Some Progress On A Nemesis

Anyone who follows this blog knows that I have a penchant for raptors and over the last 6 years of photographing them I can count on one hand the number of good opportunities I’ve had with Golden Eagles.  I had another chance at one yesterday on Antelope Island.  I almost didn’t spot this bird because it was hunkered down so far in the sagebrush (here it is standing more erect in anticipation of flight).     1/1600, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc I knew that my only chance for a few decent images would be at take-off or just after but the angle of light was a problem – the bird was facing almost directly into the sun.  If it veered to its right I’d get butt shots and probably lose the head behind the wings.  If it turned to its left the face would be in shadow and I’d get no catch light.  What can you do but wait, be ready for lift-off and hope for the best from a less than ideal situation?        1/1250, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc  Thankfully the eagle launched straight ahead which gave me the best light I could hope for under the circumstances.       1/1250, f/7.1, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc   For the first wing-beat I got light on the head and a catch light in two images – then the bird turned slightly toward me and that light was lost.  I got several more sharp shots with dynamic flight poses but the face was completely shaded.  Curses !!! I…

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Tree of Death (warning – graphic!)

 In late January my friend Mia and I made the drive to the Promontory area north of the Great Salt Lake in a quest for Golden Eagle photos.  We did find some eagles but were definitely unprepared for what else we stumbled upon.   Second warning – most of these photos are graphic and may be profoundly disturbing to some.  If you proceed further in this post, please – no complaints about what you’ve seen.  You have been twice forewarned.       A misleadingly idyllic scene What we found was the kind of country that I love – wide open spaces, big skies, blissful silence and isolation.  The setting reminded me of the area around Cut Bank, Montana where I grew up.      Tree of death So what a shock it was to come around a bend in the dirt road by this little reservoir and find such a horrific scene!  Someone had apparently shot two Red Foxes, a domestic cat and a Common Raven and deliberately hung them in this tree right next to the road as some sort of a sick trophy display.     First Red Fox in tree This Red Fox had been hung by its neck in a fork of branches.     Second Red Fox in tree This one was simply draped over a stronger branch, very close to the road and with no obstructing branches between the fox and everyone who was forced to look at it as they came around the curve in the road.     Cat impaled on fence post…

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The Bald Eagle and the Fish Hook

  Last week while looking for Golden Eagles to photograph in the Promontory area at the north end of the Great Salt Lake we came across a group of adult and juvenile Bald Eagles feeding on a sheep carcass.  The light angle was bad for photography but we couldn’t resist taking a few shots anyway.    Bald Eagle with fish hook in bill We were quite close to one adult and when it flew off I instinctively fired off a few shots, despite the poor light.  When I got home and looked carefully at those images I could clearly see this gold fish hook embedded in the base of the eagle’s bill.  This bird was apparently feeding normally and I suspect that the hook will not cause it significant problems while it’s in Utah for the winter feeding on carrion.  However I am concerned that, because of the position of the hook in front of the eyes, the hook will interfere with effective forward vision for fishing after it heads north in March.  I hope it falls out or rusts off before that although I’m not sure if “gold” fish hooks rust at all. An internet search shows that fish hooks are an ongoing problem for both Bald Eagles and Ospreys.  Ron

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Bald Eagle Serendipity

  This is another blog post that will be more about the experience of the photographer than about the quality of the images. My good friend Mia and I spent two days this week looking for eagles – both Bald Eagles and Golden Eagles.  We found several of each species but it was a frustrating experience – driving large distances (over 500 miles) and then having bad light, bad luck, bad timing and lots of fog.   Then, an unexpected surprise!   Bald Eagle waiting for us to get home Immediately after getting home I noticed several neighbors down the street looking up in the direction of the large elm tree in my side yard.   I ignored them at first but they persisted in staring so I followed their gaze and couldn’t believe what I saw toward the top of the tree – an adult Bald Eagle!  I live in suburban Salt Lake City and have never seen an eagle in my neighborhood in almost 25 years.   Of course, both Mia and I got out our photo gear and spent the next hour or so photographing the bird.  It was challenging to get good images because of the steep angle and the fact that the eagle was buried in the tree with branches in front and all around.  There were a few angles where we could get an almost unobstructed look at the bird but even then the background is very busy and there are shadows on the eagle.      Wing stretch The eagle was very relaxed in our presence, even…

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