As we near the end of the month of February, we are moving into nesting season for the Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) that I regularly observe at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Some other wildlife photographers have photographed one of the eagle pairs mating, but when I visited the refuge last Wednesday, there was no such activity. The best images that I was able to capture were of a solitary bald eagle perched on the outermost tip of a branch overlooking the trail on which I was walking—as the first photo shows, the eagle was quite aware of my presence.
Later that same day, I spotted a bald eagle that appears to be sitting on one of the two nests that monitor. One of the nests is so large and high up in the trees that it is almost impossible to tell when an eagle is sitting on the nest. The other nest, which is the one shown in the final photo, is much smaller and a sitting eagle is quite visible. There are barriers blocking the road to keep eagles from being disturbed, because a trail runs right under the nesting tree, so I am able to capture images only from a distance.
I will be checking in on the nests as time passes and with a little luck will be able to share some images of any eaglets that I manage to spot.
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Mike …..how are you! I love reading your posts! Question……I was gifted a Cannon 800mm lens and now need to get a camera body I have been looking at the 5D Miii full frame – older yet still a work horse 22mp and the 90D APC 32.5mp crop sensor camera Wanted to get your opinion regarding full frame or crop sensor? Thank you ……..
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I do most of my shooting with a crop sensor Canon 50D, which is even older than the 5D Mkiii, so age is not a huge factor in my mind. The crop sensor cameras keep getting better and better, so I am not sure that image quality will be hugely different, but there were a pretty fair number of technological advances between 2012 and 2019 when the two cameras were announced, most notably in things like video capabilities–go for the 90D if video is important. Do you use Compact Flash cards? The 5DMkiii has slots for both CF and SD cards, which is good if you already use CF cards, but CF cards are being phased out. I think the 90D accepts faster SD cards in its one memory card slot. Part of the decision is based on the feel of the cameras–the 90D is lighter and smaller, which some view as an advantage, but it might feel out of balance with a big lens. I personally like a beefy camera and find the smaller ones (including mirrorless cameras) to be less comfortable in my hand–though you might not be doing much handholding with a monster lens like that. You can also consider things like whether you like a touch screen and an articulating “flippy” screen, which only the 90D has. I could make an argument for either camera, but it will depend on which factors are most important for you.
Wonderful to see these magnificent shots of the bald eagle, Mike. How lucky to have them breeding near you. We are lucky that bald eagles are breeding on this earth, considering that not so long ago they were almost extinct. Cheers to your vigilant attention and fantastic photography, Mike.
Thanks, Jet. I remember well when I was growing up that bald eagles were endangered because of DDT and other issues associated with their habitats. Thanks to conservation efforts, their numbers have rebounded to the point that they are no longer considered to be endangered. Thankfully they still get a lot of attention and every year at the refuge I like to visit, for example, they block off certain areas to keep people from disturbing the eagles. Unfortunately some folks ignore the signs and each year they catch a few people crossing the barrier (I have heard they get a pretty hefty fine).
Great photo Mike.
Just a question for you. Do you take photos of the landscape of the Occoquan Preserve itself!
Thanks, Suzanne. Sometimes I take photos of the landscape at the Refuge, but mostly I focus on the wildlife subjects. Here is a link to a posting I did in 2019 that showed a bit of the landscape there. (https://michaelqpowell.com/2019/12/03/occoquan-bay-national-wildlife-refuge/)
Thank you Mike, it is nice to get a visual if the area you mention in many of your posts. Great captures. Cheers.
That first photo is amazing, Mike. They are all good, but the top one, wow.
Thanks, Dan. It is amazing how a head tilt and an intense stare can add so much additional interest to a static portrait. It is one of the reasons why I love to take multiple shots whenever I can–I never know when I will be able to capture just the “right” expression.
Nice Mike! Always like seeing your Eagle images!
Thanks, Reed.
[…] on a small nest at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge (see the final photo in my recent posting Out on a limb). However, until Wednesday I had been unable to determine if the eagles had started to sit on […]