![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/bald-eagle-3491-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"bald-eagle-3491-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\nFarmington Bay WMA has been a madhouse lately.<\/i><\/p>\n
Recently refuge managers have performed their annual carp kill in an effort to control that invasive and destructive fish. The dead carp are dispersed by the currents and provide much-needed winter food for Bald Eagles and other birds on the refuge. The carp kill itself is somewhat controversial but personally I don’t have a major problem with it and that controversy is not a focus of this post.<\/p>\n
But I do have a problem with what often happens after the fish are killed.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Folks retrieve the dead carp from the water and place them in concentrated numbers in strategic locations to lure in eagles for photographic and viewing purposes. This was a tiny portion of the scene three days ago just west of the “Owl Bridge”. There were almost 80 Bald Eagles in the general area competing for dead carp, at least three of which can be seen in this photo but there were many other dead fish that had been spread out nearby.<\/p>\n
Normally these eagles are wary of humans and vehicles so most of them stay far out in more remote areas of the refuge where they’re largely inaccessible but baiting them brings them within range of photographers and wildlife watchers. The morning light angle at this location is perfect for photography and concentrating them unnaturally like this causes lots of dramatic fights over food which of course is very exciting for the photographer.<\/p>\n
But baiting raptors for photographic purposes is clearly unethical so I avoid the area as best I can. On this morning I stopped for a couple of minutes to confirm what was happening through my lens and then left all the hubbub to the dozens of photographers and wildlife watchers who were clogging the road. I haven’t been back, except to pass that area on the road as I look for other birds on the refuge.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/northern-harrier-3591-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"northern-harrier-3591-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\n
1\/8000, f\/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, canvas added for composition, not baited, set up or called in<\/p>\n
Of course finding other birds to photograph well is much more difficult than photographing baited eagles but I did manage to get a decent shot of this Northern Harrier as it cruised by me on a hunting foray on the same morning. I especially like the eye contact and the raised left wing.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
It isn’t my purpose to debate the ethics of raptor baiting here. If you have a different view, so be it. But there are good reasons why most bird and nature organizations and prestigious nature photography contests strongly oppose baiting in their guidelines.<\/p>\n
I couldn’t agree more.<\/p>\n
Ron<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Farmington Bay WMA has been a madhouse lately.<\/p>\n