As Bald Eagle numbers began to increase daily last week, my interest in photographing the impressive raptors increased accordingly. By Friday, eagle numbers topped out at 44, which was a minimum count, but it will stand as the record for fall Bald Eagle numbers in the area, mostly centered at Carlson Lake, 7 miles north of my office. Many of the eagles were positioned far beyond the range of my zoom lens, but there were ample opportunities to photograph eagles perched or flying near the road that skirts the east side of the deepest lake in the area – the last body of water to be covered by a winter sheet of ice.

It’s always nice when you get a new portrait of a bird, and while Paul has photographed many Bald Eagles during the past decade, this photograph is a standout for its simplicity and the character the bird shows while perched (600mm zoom lens, f-8 aperture, 1/1600 shutter speed, 400 ISO.)

The increased numbers of Bald Eagles are a secondary result of freezing water to the north, which sends tens of thousands of Snow Geese, which many eagles tend to follow because they find food among the injured or unfit geese that cannot continue the migration. The last flock of geese appear to have left Friday night, but I still counted 28 Bald Eagles Saturday, and there were surely more in the surrounding area. With the eagles here, the availability of sunlight dictated whether it was fruitful for me to be in the field or not. An eagle was occasionally positioned for me to photograph one – perched, standing, or mostly as one was flying. I was enthusiastic, but the sun was not very cooperative and limited my effective photo time to a couple hours or less Saturday and Sunday.

The best breakthrough for eagle photography came when a first-year Bald Eagle flew eastward as I faced north with the low sun at my back. It provided a nice opportunity to take a couple photos before it effortlessly made a half-turn, swinging to the southwest to fly in my direction and back into the best morning sunlight. That’s when I took a series of photos that all turned out beautifully with the eagle’s eye and bill looking sharp along with the mottled plumage of the young eagle, which was facing the coldest day of its life.

The next Bald Eagle to attract my attention was an adult that was perched in a tree near the road. I took a couple photos of it, expecting it to react to my arrival, but it was fine with me standing in the freezing single-digit temperature with my long shadow stretching before me. As I was zeroed in on the adult Bald Eagle, I became more and more interested in a very distant young eagle that was flying very high across the lake. The eagle looked like it was migrating, and as it approached closer, still very high above ground, I realized this was a very different eagle – a Golden Eagle – a first-year Golden that showed a broad white tail band and a white oval on each of its widespread wings – woo-wee! Golden Eagles are very uncommon in the area, and this was the first I’ve seen this season, not to suggest there will be more.

The above series of 3 photographs was taken during the course of just a couple seconds as the first-year Bald Eagle flew closer and closer, until it was almost directly overhead. The fast shutter speed stopped all motion and provided sharp, clear images of the young eagle’s succeeding flight positions (all 3 photos: 430mm zoom, f-9 aperture, 1/2000 shutter speed, 800 ISO).

The young Golden Eagle flew directly toward me, still high overhead, but as if it meant to fly quite a distance southeast to circle above me, then beyond me. It was a bit too high to get quality photos of it, but I managed a few documentary photos of the young eagle, a real beauty. For me, first-year Golden Eagles are actually more attractive than adults, owing to the bold white tail band and partly white wing feathers; their plumage is also uniformly new, providing the best contrast of colors. I had to wonder: Where did the young Golden Eagle come from on its first journey south? (Alberta? Nunavut? Alaska?) And where was it going? Such are the obvious questions we have during migration, not just for this young eagle, but for all migrating birds.

After taking an exceptionally sharp close-range photo of a first-year Bald Eagle as it perched in a tree, the image was cropped to create this head and shoulders portrait that emphasizes the vigor of the young raptor (600mm zoom lens, f-9 aperture, 1/1000 shutter speed, 800 ISO).

The Gathering

By Sunday morning it was clear that with the migration of the last thousand geese Friday night, the leftover food source for the eagles was dwindling, and eagles made that especially clear when I followed a first-year Bald Eagle that at first appeared to be continuing its migration south. I followed the eagle or paralleled its flight line a good 4 miles to a location where it met another young eagle, and they engaged in a brief interaction in flight, then dropped to the ground. As I topped a little rise in the field, I saw there were actually 3 immature Bald Eagles on the ground with an adult flying low in their direction from the west – very interesting.

I expected one of the eagles had food that the others were interested in, so hoping I was close enough to photograph and hoping the sun would break through a thin cloud, I was surprised to see eagle after eagle fly in to land among the growing crowd, sometimes 2 or 3 at a time. The number of eagles was especially surprising because the main eagle concentration area was 5 miles to the north, and I only counted a total of 16 eagles there. When the number before me reached 12, it became very clear that Bald Eagles were quite widely scattered around the surrounding area, and that they were intent on finding food.

A molt away from having full adult plumage, this Bald Eagle glances back in the midst of an aerial turn. Dark coloration on some mostly white tail and head feathers is indicative of its “first adult plumage,” which means this eagle is at least 3 years of age (420mm zoom lens, f-9 aperture, 1/4000 shutter speed, 800 ISO).

I followed the flight of each eagle as it circled and landed, hoping to get a photo of the group as new eagles joined with outstretched wings as they landed. It was exciting to try to photograph the action, and just the chance to witness this gathering was a great way to greet the last month of the year on the morning of December 1st – and this action was happening just 2 miles from my office!

The biggest surprise among the local eagle concentration was the sighting and subsequent documentary photos of a first-year Golden Eagle that show the telling white markings on its tail and wings (600mm zoom lens, f-8 aperture, 1/2500 shutter speed, 800 ISO).

Apparently the initial eagle found a leftover piece of goose and tried to make the most of it; but in so doing the feeding eagle attracted a lot of interest among the neighbors. At one point an adult circled low to approach the group, spreading its wings broadly and calling with its legs and talons outstretched as it landed, creating a formidable sight for the young eagle to continue to hold on to its precious food. But suddenly the eagles erupted into flight, with eagles flying in all directions on outstretched wings – except toward me; I didn’t get a single photo out of the explosive action. But that’s the way it goes sometimes, and by that time the light was fading even more and snow began to fall. As I made my way home, I had to wonder if I would get another chance to photograph Bald Eagles in my own backyard, so to speak.

In this case, although I didn’t get a single documentary photo worthy of publishing – blame it on very poor lighting – sometimes it’s the other aspects of birding that kick in: Appreciating the birds before me, understanding the rarity of the eagle gathering I was witnessing, enjoying the effortless flights as eagle after eagle glided in and circled low overhead; taking in the aggressive interactions among the eagles, and knowing all this was happening so close to home. I hope you are appreciating the excitement of migration in your area, anticipating the next birds that will appear in the coming days, but enjoying the birds you see today in the process. Give your camera a workout as soon as you can.

Article and Photographs by Paul Konrad

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