Bald Eagle, Alaska

This is a photo of a bald eagle landing on a snag on Homer Spit.

I used to love to go to Homer, Alaska, in March to photograph bald eagles.   I wasn’t the only one.  I’m sure more bald eagle photos have been taken in the Homer area than anywhere else in the world.

 

Bobcat, Point Reyes National Seashore

This is a portrait photo of a male bobcat sitting and staring at the camera.

My favorite time to photograph landscapes and wildlife is from about an hour before sunset until about 30 to 40 minutes after sunset (the blue hour) because of the great colors, although I admit it’s much easier shooting landscapes than wildlife during the blue hour.

I photographed this male bobcat about a week ago.  It was a couple of minutes before sunset and the light was fading fast.  I was shooting with a Canon EF800 f/5.6 lens with a 1.4 teleconverter.  Settings were 1/200 sec. at f/8 with an ISO of 5000.  I was shooting out of my car window with the lens resting on a beanbag.  Fairly steady, but not equal to a tripod.  While the old rule is to shoot at a shutter speed at least equal to the focal length of the lens (1120mm focal length here so 1/1250 second shutter speed), I would have shot this bobcat at shutter speeds down to 1/30 sec. if I had needed to, with the expectation of some keepers.

This guy had a lot more red under his chin and more distinct spots than the one I posted three weeks ago.  He was with a female who I assume he will stay with for a while.  I hope to see their kittens this spring.