As I zoomed in on a bright white splotch of color in a distant tree at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge on Friday, I realized it was a Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). almost hidden in the autumn foliage. The eagle reacted quickly to my presence and took to the air, but I was able to capture a few images of this majestic bird.
Photographing a bald eagle is always a challenge. One of the biggest issues is the contrast between its bright white head and dark body, making it tough to get a good exposure. In this case, if I had had a little more time to check my exposure, I might have been able to avoid blowing out the details in the eagle’s head. Time, though is something that I usually don’t have. The eagle’s vision and reaction time are so far superior to mine that I have to react immediately when I spot an eagle, usually with the settings that already dialed into the camera. On multiple occasions I have missed opportunities as I scrambled to make adjustments to my camera.
Finally, it is often hard to predict an eagle’s actions and the direction in which it will choose to fly. This was a somewhat unusual situation in that the eagle initially flew right at me. You have to have really steady hands and a lot of luck to maintain focus when a bird is coming at you that fast. I didn’t quite nail the focus on the eagle’s eyes in the final shot, but am happy at the way that I was able to capture its fully extended wings.
This situation reinforces in me the continuing applicability of the Boy Scout motto that was drilled into me as a youth—”Be Prepared.” You never know when you might stumble upon a Bald Eagle.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Cool!
I love the bottom photo with the eagle flying out of the foliage. Awesome wingspan!
Thanks, Liz. I too love the final photo, though the photographer part of me wishes it could have a little sharper. It was so cool to be looking through the viewfinder as the eagle flew right at me. I didn’t feel at all threatened, unlike a situation in February 2016. Check out the posting and you will see what I mean. https://michaelqpowell.wordpress.com/2016/02/07/im-not-your-prey/
I see what you mean! I loved looking at the photos. The eagle has such enormous talons!
If you are a small animal or some other prey it would be terrifying to see those talons coming at you. In that situation, I think the eagle reacted instinctively when it first saw my movement in the grass and headed for me, but turned away as soon as it realized that I was neither a prey or a threat.
Wonderful set of images, Mike. I love that last one of the eagle leaping into flight as it really captures the instant between standing and flying. The lighting is beautiful too, the way it makes the white of the eagle’s head feathers glow.
Thanks, Laura. The bright white of the head is a challenge to photograph and I like the way that you describe the effect as glowing.
It’s always exciting to spot that “white blotch” high up in a tree.
Indeed it is exciting. More often than not I first spot the shape of the eagle’s body, because they frequently perch on exposed branches near the top of trees. In this case, the eagle’s body was much more hidden than usual.
Beautiful, Mike. I’d be happy just to see a bald eagle–let alone take pictures of it! PS I am still enjoying your male hoodie image on my desktop!
That’s so sweet of you to mention the Hoodie. I am glad you enjoy the photos. I feel inspired and uplifted whenever I encounter a Bald Eagle and capturing images of one is a real bonus.
Beautiful eagle pictures…What kind of lens do you use to take your pictures?
I have a book about two young bald eagles learning to fly…I would love to get your opinion of the pictures in my book, Near a River…Email me your email addy and we can chat about this…
My website is http://www.nearariver.com…My email is bobbiejrae@gmail.com…
Thanks!