This site is dedicated to wildlife and landscape photography.
This site is dedicated to wildlife and landscape photography.
Three Eagles Out On A Limb
Time flies! It was 2009 when I went to Homer, Alaska, to photograph bald eagles with three friends from the Marin Camera Club, Dan Van Winkle, Kevin Westerlund and Gene Morita. Gene’s friend, John Isaac, joined us there. It was the last year Jean Keene would feed the bald eagles at her home on Kachemak Bay because she passed away that year.
Photographers from all over the world came to her place to photograph the eagles.
One bald eagle bites another.
I was happy to learn that this bald eagle image made the cut for the final round of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.
Shortly after I retired in 2007 my friend Bob Gay invited me to join him and some friends in photographing bald eagles at Homer, Alaska. I took Bob up on his offer and I’m sure glad I did. The photography was astounding. I returned in 2008 and 2009. In 2009 I also took several boat trips across the bay from Homer to photograph bald eagles there. Thanks to the abundance of eagles there I have never photographed a species as much as I have bald eagles. Those trips were experiences I will always remember.
I think that most everyone who has an interest in wildlife knows that when a bald eagle sees an osprey flying with a fish the bald eagle will chase and harass the osprey and get it to drop the fish (which the eagle then dives for and catches). The osprey gives up at this point so it can live and fish another day.
What people may not be as aware of is that bald eagles do this to each other too and if one loses the fish it doesn’t give up. The aerial dog fights can go on for a long time and they can be quite spectacular. Changes of possession can become numerous because when one dives on the other the one with the fish usually opens its talons to defend itself and loses the fish in the process. This results in a dive by both eagles to be the first to catch the falling fish. It gets even ore interesting when the fight takes place where numerous eagles gather. They all get involved.
I’ve seen some interesting things happen in these dogfights. I’ve seen one or both crash into the water. Sometimes they can get airborne from the water, but sometimes they can’t and they then try to get to land. If they don’t make it to land before hypothermia, they die.
This is one of the more unusual photos I’ve taken of bald eagles fighting. One eagle has his talons into the upper tail of the other and is flying along carrying the other, but they are losing altitude. Sorry, I don’t remember how it ended.
I took this photo in March of 2009 when I was driving back to Anchorage from Homer where I had been photographing bald eagles. Mount Redoubt erupted several times that month.
My trips to Alaska have always been for the purpose of photographing wildlife. Of course, Alaska is also well known for its beautiful landscapes. I’m feeling the need to go again — to photograph some of its great landscapes. If you’d like a print of this image you can order one by clicking here.
In memory of the tragic events that occurred nine years ago. May nothing like that ever happen again.
Yesterday’s post ended with mama bear attacking her cub. While I said that I thought it was probably because she was agitated over the wolf having been at the carcass, there is more to it than that. The cub is 2 years old (actually 21/2 years old) and from mom’s point of view it’s about time for the cub to hit the road. Biologically, she’s ready to mate again. This fact is not lost on nearby male grizzlies. Here is one suitor who has come calling. The cub moved off when he came on the scene.
The next time I saw the sow and boar they were in the act of mating a bit beyond the pond. The cub was in the vicinity of the pond, but making sure it kept a good distance between itself and the boar.
As I mentioned before, there were other scavengers who benefited from the misfortune of the two bison. One was a coyote who got some meat from the carcass on the east side of the pond and promptly left. It probably felt that with grizzlies and wolves around it could find a better place to enjoy a meal than at Blacktail.
I mentioned earlier that bald eagles and ravens also benefited from the misfortune of the bison. I wasn’t sure I had any photos of them, but I looked and found one.
This photo was quite underexposed probably due to the surface of the pond. It also has some noise. Note the blood on the beak of the eagle.
In addition to the wildlife, Yellowstone visitors benefited from the demise of the bison. The Blacktail Pond area was crowded with visitors, and photographers in particular, for more than a week.
For the most part, these photos were taken under less than ideal conditions due to poor lighting and excessive distance. The bear and wolf photos were shot at about 175 yards. In my experience you can’t get good quality images at that distance. The equipment used was as follows: Canon 500mm f/4 lens; Canon 1.4 TC; Canon 7D. I should also mention a book I have found to be very valuable in understanding bears in general and Yellowstone’s in particular. The book is “Yellowstone Bears In the Wild.” The author is James C. Halfpenny. You can find it at almost any book store. If you’re in Gardiner, Montana, you can pick up a copy of Jim’s book at The Paradise Gallery. If you go there, you should also check out the wildlife photos on display by several wildlife photographers, including yours truly.
