The Eagles of Idaho and Me
These are a few of the eagle photos I took from Nov 2018 to Jan 2019
Nov 2018 Lake Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
This was my very first time photographing an eagle in action. When I uploaded this in Lightroom and saw how sharp it was, I actually cried. I thought I h ad shot my personal best but I kept going back until the middle of January. Below are my favorite ones.
The eagles sat perched in trees all along the river. They would wait until a Kokanee salmon would swim close to the surface of the water, and then swoop down and pick up dinner. I was shooting and shooting while they sat high up in the trees knowing I would get at least one clear shot. I used a 70-200mm lens on my Canon 7D so I could get a little closer. The white background was not edited because the day was extremely cloudy and I knew I’d have a blue sky, eventually. And, so I did. These are just a few that I captured over 3 months.
I tried the entire time to capture an eagle swooping down and actually grabbing a fish. I was able to get that shot a few times, however, I was usually not ready. But, this is a series of an eagle get his sushi to-go.
We call these “practice birds.” There is a lot of skill (and luck) that goes into photographing eagles and freezing action. So, we practice setting exposure and focus, etc. on these pesky birds called seagulls. They can be a menace when trying to get a perfect shot of an eagle, because they want the fish, too. The image on the left is an immature seagull and the right is just a tush of one flying away. They really are good practice, as the immature seagull was a complete shock.
In 2017, I found out that the eagles are in Bayview, ID. I had no idea and as a photographer, I knew I had to at least try. I was so excited and drove all the way out to Bayview, which is at least an hour and a half from where I live. It was pretty late in the season but I was determined to find one to photograph. I had no experience, no zoom or fast lens but I had desire. I asked the townsfolk where I could find one and they pointed me in the right direction. It’s a very small town so I would ask anyone I saw where an eagle was. Keep in mind, I had never seen one in person. Eventually, a man pointed to an eagle that was perched on a branch. I was so excited. I used my 28-135 lens on my 7D to photograph. I was parked along a fence on a property that was for sale, so there were no people in sight. The man that showed me the eagle works the properties and assured me I could stay there as long as I wanted.
1 1/2 hours later, freezing and numb, I finally left. I had waited until the eagle would fly away so I could try getting him in action, but that wasn’t happening. He was more interested in teasing me. So, we just talked. I mean, I talked and he listened. Sometimes, he would stare at me and other times, he’d turn away and look for fish. It was fascinating to me because I had lost my father less than a year before, so I felt a weird connection when the eagle would look at me.
The end result: I entered my photos into the Bayview, ID eagle contest. They have a professional and amateur category. I was a professional photographer but when it came to eagles, not even close. The large photo above placed 3rd in the amateur category. I was thrilled. I got a check in the mail and a certificate (that my cat became obsessed with chewing and laying on) and the bragging rights. I couldn’t wait until winter 2018.
This is a youngster. 
See the salmon in the talons. 
Jan 2019
It was time to say goodbye to the amazing birds of prey, after photographing them for 3 months. I can’t believe how sad I felt. I went out to Higgins Point and Wolf Lodge Bay as often as I could and this would be the last trip until next November. It was amazing that on my last shoot, I was standing alone on the waters edge, away from all the other people; tourists, eagle watchers, photographers. At one point, I looked up and there was an eagle flying low, straight in my direction. This time I was ready and I kept shooting until he flew over my head, doing a backbend in the process. (okay, my rendition of one) So, these are the goodbye shots and they are not cropped that much. This was the first time the eagle was that close to me. Of course, I cried again when i looked at them on Lightroom. I felt I had come a long way since I began in November, and I was and still am very proud of myself and my work. Til next November.
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