![\"bald](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/bald-eagle-0877b-ron-dudley.jpg\")
<\/p>\nOpportunities for the public to view Bald Eagles up close in northern Utah have evolved over\u00a0the years. I’ll use Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area as an example.<\/p>\n
In the past the refuge has used rotenone to kill damaging invasive carp in February and those dead and dying fish attracted many of the Bald Eagles that winter in our area and concentrated them in high numbers. Bird lovers and nature photographers flocked to the refuge in midwinter (especially February)\u00a0to view eagles up close because the birds became acclimated to the presence of people as they fed on dead fish that washed naturally\u00a0through the impoundments of the refuge. Then things began to change…<\/p>\n
In order to attract and concentrate even more eagles for the viewing public (particularly on Bald Eagle Day in February) Utah DWR biologists began to bring truckloads of dead carp up from Utah Lake and dump them in piles around both Farmington Bay and Salt Creek WMA’s. In some winters this attracted even more eagles and hordes of eagle lovers but if the winter was a warm one the birds could find sufficient food elsewhere and came to the fish piles in much smaller numbers. An\u00a0unintended consequence of\u00a0fewer eagles\u00a0was thousands of rotting, stinking and unsightly\u00a0carp around the refuge that were often\u00a0still there\u00a0through March and even later\u00a0– very unpleasant to experience.<\/p>\n
Then early two winters ago came something completely unexpected – Bald Eagles in northern Utah began to die by the dozens. At first no one knew why but it was\u00a0eventually learned that the culprit was West Nile Virus. Every year more than 2 million Eared Grebes stop by the Great Salt Lake during their migration through the state and typically about 1% of them (20,000 birds)\u00a0die on or near\u00a0the lake from avian cholera and other diseases. Biologists believe that some of those grebes died of West Nile Virus and were then scavenged by Bald Eagles who\u00a0became sick themselves and died as a result.<\/p>\n
So, long story still long – DWR officials were fearful that if dead carp were dumped at the WMA’s to attract and concentrate eagles the virus in a few birds might easily spread in those concentrated groups of birds, so fish weren’t dumped and\u00a0eagles never appeared in large numbers at Farmington or Salt Creek and much of the eagle-loving public was disappointed.\u00a0Then last\u00a0season the eagles didn’t show up in significant numbers\u00a0either, probably because it was such a warm winter that they could find enough food elsewhere\u00a0where they didn’t have to put up with humans.<\/p>\n
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1\/2000, f\/8, ISO 500, Canon 40D, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS\u00a0USM, canvas added for composition, not baited, set up or called in (though that may depend on your definition…)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n I took this image at Farmington in early February of 2009, long before DWR began trucking in tons of dead carp from elsewhere to attract eagles. These birds were feeding on the relatively few carp that had been killed by refuge management\u00a0elsewhere on the refuge and washed\u00a0through the impoundments to collect in some of the smaller\u00a0ponds. I like the light on the eagle, the landing pose, the sharpness and detail of the entire bird and the intensity of its expression.<\/p>\n Personally, I miss the “old days” at Farmington, before tons of carp were trucked in from elsewhere and before baiting of\u00a0eagles became so widespread among photographers. I often wouldn’t be able to tell if an eagle I was photographing had been baited in by a Butterball turkey or chicken\u00a0hidden in the reeds (yes, it happens)\u00a0or if some other carcass (fish or otherwise) had been moved and strategically placed in a more photogenic location with better light (a common practice, though usually done very\u00a0discretely – typically they’re not proud of what they do and for good reason).<\/p>\n So these days I rarely go to Farmington during\u00a0“eagle season” in February. When I do I’m mostly on the lookout for harriers to photograph or the occasional Bald Eagle flyover where I know the bird hasn’t been directly baited.<\/p>\n It’s an awkward situation…<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n PS – I’m fully aware that some photographers disagree with me about the ethics of baiting (and that the definition of baiting may be open to some interpretation). So be it – everyone has a right to their opinion. What I won’t do is debate the issue here. I know from past experience that doing so is futile and a waste of time and energy.<\/em><\/p>\n A Late Addendum – Neil Rossmiller posted a thought-provoking image and text on NPN of\u00a0a Northern Harrier on one\u00a0of the piles of carp at Farmington. That image can be seen here<\/a> if you’re interested.<\/em><\/p>\n \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Opportunities for the public to view Bald Eagles up close in northern Utah have evolved over the years.<\/p>\n