sharing a meal

the day's highlights

flying

With the threat of a federal government looming on this beautiful Friday, I made plans to get to the nest (even if I only had a few evening hours to spare).  So, here are a few flight shots from today....

Evening Deliveries

After observing that shooting conditions were not going to be good for awhile, I knew that I had to take the opportunity to get in some photography time (even though it was get to evening hours). The light was less than ideal but I did enjoy viewing several flights as Julia "paced" from the nest to the river (capturing small fish) while awaiting Hiram's return. At one point, the nest was left unattended by an adult for somewhere around 40 minutes.

Small fish delivery

Check out those talons!

Random Pics of the Day

fish arrival and a close encounter

delivering catfish

Tonight's meal came in the delivery of a large catfish.

The presence of youth

As I arrived to view the eagles and stepped from my vehicle, I was greeted with a flurry of noise and excitement. I looked to see another bird circling near the nest and hear the parents vocalizing their disapproval. I quickly grabbed my camera without even taking time to check my settings (this moment was unraveling so fast). Once I could focus on what I was seeing, I was stunned. For the first time to my knowledge, I was viewing a juvenile eagle in flight!
It was determined that the juvenile was probably one of last year's young which had returned to the nest much to the disapproval of their parents who were defending their new brood. After a few very tense minutes of verbal altercation, the juvenile flew away.
After some time of caution by the protective parents, the food flights resumed.

Catch of the Day

This image represents a defining moment in my learning. Action nature photography was all new to me. Sure, I'd captured many animals before...but the action added such a rush. Having a perfectionist streak gave me the strong desire to succeed. I didn't yet have all the knowledge of a seasoned nature photographer (and still don't) but I did have the willingness to learn everything that I could. My mind was opened in order to try and absorb every ounce of information that I could about the eagles, about photographing birds in flight, about pushing my camera to its limits, about everything!
As it happened on this night, the evening meal was a very large fish. Several photographers responded capture the approaching flight of the eagle. The flight pattern was following a steady pattern lulling us into a sense of comfort...Then, with a quick upward motion, the eagle caught us off-guard. Some of the photographer's lost the shot altogether. A couple of us managed to catch the meal, which gave us a good laugh for the night.
It was at that moment that I felt accepted. I realized that we were all working toward the same goal. Sometimes we'd get the shot...Sometimes we'd miss it...And sometimes we'd just almost get something wonderful. But whatever we captured, we were not only recording images...We were recording memories! Memories which can make an "almost shot" into something that makes you smile.
Sometimes photography isn't as much about the perfect shot as it is about the emotion behind the shot. This image makes me happy remembering all the laughter and the many jokes that would follow! ;)