Camera Critters: Winter Bald Eagle Photography-A Growing Pastime

Bald Eagle: Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge

When I was a lad, growing up in rural Pennsylvania, eagles sightings were the substance of  tales told by the older folks, most notorious of which was the legend of "Eagle Dave", who was supposedly whisked away by a pair of eagles and raised in their nest. I have forgotten how that one was supposed to have turned out, but suffice it to say that it was a fairy tale designed to keep an adventurous youth from straying too far from the farmstead.

The bald eagle was listed as endangered in 43 states under the Endangered Species Act until 1995, when its, status was upgraded to "threatened". It was removed from the endangered species list in 2007, but is fortunately still protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.

In recent years, eagle photography has become a favorite winter pastime of many nature photographers. Although there are exceptions, eagles are ordinarily quite shy birds, seen only at a distance. Favorite spots to photograph the birds in our area are Conowingo Dam (sometimes they are very close here) and Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Maryland, I do see eagles at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area in Pennsylvania, but I only go there for a few mornings in spring and fall during the waterfowl migrations and do not know if eagles are commonly seen there in winter. Most I have seen there are also too far away for exceptional photographs. 

Blackwater Eagle

Some eagles are seen near home each year, but they are very, very, shy and it is difficult to get a camera and tripod deployed. Both of the photos featured today were taken at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, near Cambridge Maryland. Both are at extremely long range and taken with the 500mm F4 and 1.4 extender. The images are heavily cropped, which works reasonably well for internet use, but is lacking in feather detail for printing purposes. The first photo was taken with the Canon 7D, while the second was with the T3i. Some assume that the 7D and T3i utilize the same sensor (they have the same megapixel count), but I have heard from a reliable source that they are not identical sensors and working with these photos served to reinforce this. The 7D seems to have less noise and a more pleasing overall look to the images-- even after color correction in Photoshop. In a strange twist, I find the T3i to have a slightly more pleasing video image--at least under certain circumstances and that is using the same picture style in both cameras.

For more Camera Critters Photographs, Click Here!

Originally posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill.

Early Winter

Early January and the temperatures are often cold with the ground covered with snow.  Bald Eagles may be found cruising the skies or silently perched in trees near the waters edge, either resting or patiently waiting for an unsuspecting fish to swim by.

Mature Bald Eagle Searching For Food

Mature Bald Eagle Resting In Tree By Water's Edge

Other wildlife such as elk may be found where food is readily available.  Animals prefer the sunny, south-facing slopes at this of year as the temperatures are warmer there and as a result snow cover is less making food more easily available.  These areas are often sheltered from the cold northwest winds, making living conditions much more comfortable.

Elk Spending A Cold Winter Day In A Sunny Area

A Stand Of Evergreens Help Shelter Elk From Winter Winds

Winter is often brutal and unpleasant, but there is still much of interest to be found in the great outdoors and while we can escape the elements to a certain extent, the creatures of the wild must endure whatever comes their way.

For more photographs, information, and discussion of nature in Pennsylvania's Elk Country be sure to visit Elk Scenic Drive on Facebook.  A special thanks to Marci Geise for launching this much needed forum.

Originally Posted at Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer by Willard Hill

Conowingo Dam-Bald Eagle Photography:Canon 7D

Mature Bald Eagle: Canon 7D 500mmF4

On Friday, February 19th, Coy Hill of Country Captures and I traveled to Conowingo Dam northeast of Baltimore, Md. to check out the reports of good Bald Eagle photographic opportunities there.

Conowingo Dam: Canon 30D-17-40mm

Coy Checks Out The 500mmF4-Canon 30D-17-40mm

While this is not the peak season for eagle sightings, we did see at least four different birds. One perched in a tree near a parking area for several hours, and gave several photographers the opportunity to take close-up portrait shots.

Photographing Eagle In Tree: Canon 30D-17-40mm

While I still use the Canon XL-H1 for most of my serious wildlife filming, I find that I am turning more and more to the Canon 7D DSLR for that purpose and I used it extensively on this trip. It does not have the long range ability of the XL-H1, but it does deliver beautiful footage. It is difficult to focus in video mode as one must use the LCD and it is difficult to see plainly in bright sunlight. I recently purchased the "Zacuto Finder" an add-on viewfinder which clips onto the LCD and makes it somewhat like a traditional camcorder viewfinder. This makes the camera much more effective in video mode.

Filming Eagle With Canon 7D: 100-400mm L lens, With Zacuto Finder

I hope to post either some sample clips taken with the 7D or a short film on winter wildlife in the very near future, which will use footage taken entirely with this camera.

For more Camera Critters photographs, Click Here!

Brush Or No Brush? The Bald Eagle

This is a somewhat redundant post as the second photograph was published last month, but I decided to post it along with another shot of the same encounter with the bird. I am curious as to other photographers opinion about the branch passing in front of the head in the first photo. Does the branch detract from the photograph, or is it an asset? Does it add a more "wild" aspect to the photo or does it detract from the composition by obscuring important detail?



Any input is appreciated.

Pennsylvania Bald Eagle

Canon 30-D: 500mmF4-1.4 extender- ISO 125- 1/320 sec. f5.6

Years ago it was unheard of to see Bald Eagles in Fulton County, Pennsylvania. They were the subject of much folklore. According to these tales, eagles were fearsome birds. In the most frightening of these tales an eagle carried a young lad named "Dave" away to their nest and raised him as an eagle. His name became "Eagle Dave". I think the purpose of the story was to frighten naughty children, who were apt to roam too far from the farmhouse, into staying close by where their parents could keep watch over their actions.

It is generally accepted that using DDT to control insects, and pest was responsible for the decline in eagle numbers, not to mention that they were often shot on sight because of the perceived threat from them. Eventually DDT was banned, strict penalties were imposed for killing eagles, and populations slowly recovered.

I saw my first eagle in the county in the late 1980s or the early 1990s. The resident eagles are ordinarily very shy and fly before one can photograph them, unless they settle for long distances shots. I have met with some success filming them at George B. Stevenson Dam in Northern Pennsylvania and did get decent footage of an immature eagle at home a few years ago, but these shots were the result of using extremely powerful telephotos on video cameras, which are capable of delivering acceptable results at much longer range than still cameras.

Not until yesterday, was I able to get close enough to a local eagle to get a decent still photograph.

Canon 30-D: 500mmF4-1.4 extender- ISO 125- 1/320 sec. f5.6

Today I was able to get much closer and took my best Bald Eagle photographs to date.

Canon 40-D: 500mmF4 ISO 200-1/1000 sec. f5

This bird was staying in the area because it found a dead whitetail deer that had been washed to the shore of a small stream by high water , and was utilizing it as a food source.

Mature Bald Eagle:Sinnemahoning State Park

An Encounter With A Bald Eagle

I posted a picture of a Bald Eagle as part of a discussion on lenses for long range photography with the Canon XL-H1 High Definition Video Camera on DV Info. Net Forum today and decided to post a shot here as well along with some information on eagles in Pennsylvania.

Mature Bald Eagle

Canon XL-H1:Canon 500mmF4 with 1.4 extender

Eagle populations are increasing in Pennsylvania. I have recorded the birds at Middle Creek Wildlife Management area at Kleinfeltersville, Pa. and at Sinnemahoning State Park, located between the Village of Sinnemahoning in Cameron County and Austin in Potter County. I have seen numerous birds in my home area, but they have so far been too shy to permit me to get the camera in action with the exception of an immature eagle that permitted me to videotape it at long range on one occasion.
Birds have nested in the same area of the lake at this park for a number of years. I was there on the morning of July 17th, 2007. I had a smaller lens mounted and was trying to get a shot of a flying eagle when I saw this bird land on the far side of the lake. I quickly mounted the camera to the 500mmF4 Canon with 1.4 extender attached. This gave me an the equivalent of a 5,040mm lens in 35mm terms. I took several stills in card camera mode and some video footage before the bird flew away.