Bald Eagles in the Snow

[brandon]

Hey everyone,

 

haven't posted in a while because I've been extremely busy - I moved back to BC! Terrace, BC to be exact. And with the Skeena River so close it seems like I'll have to get into some steelheading. I haven't done too much shooting since I've been out here but I did get out yesterday and had a nice little photo session with some Bald Eagles! For those of you that follow me on Facebook, some of these you will have seen, although a few haven't been posted anywhere yet. There's also a star photo at the end that I took one night last week when temps dipped below -30...Enjoy!

 

 

Bald Eagle Fight by bbroderick86, on Flickr

 

 

I shot this one at f/18 to bring the snow covered trees in the background into focus.

Snowy Eagle by bbroderick86, on Flickr

 

 

Bald Eagle Fight by bbroderick86, on Flickr

 

 

Bald Eagle in Flight by bbroderick86, on Flickr

 

 

Juvenile Bald Eagle in the Snow by bbroderick86, on Flickr

 

 

Bald Eagle Calling by bbroderick86, on Flickr

 

 

Bald Eagle in Flight by bbroderick86, on Flickr

 

 

Kleanza Creek Under The Stars by bbroderick86, on Flickr

Edited January 24, 2012 by brandon

[BillM]

That first pic is hilarious!!! Love the look on that birds face.

Edited January 24, 2012 by BillM

[Twocoda]

BC is being as good to you as you are to it.....

 

Thanks !

[danc]

Brandon. Your passion and skills for photography seem to grow by the week. These are your best yet. Simply awsome Bud.

[Harrison]

You feel like you are standing there in that last shot. Should be Xmas card cover.

 

Awesome.

[Gregoire]

Love the eagles, that's why I looked, but that last shot is unreal.

[Handlebarz]

Amazing pics Brandon

[brandon]

thanks guys! And Harrison, I actually had someone already purchase 75 greeting cards with that star shot on them!

[frozen-fire]

Simply amazing. :worthy:

[coreyhkh]

Wow awesome shots, I have just taken up photography its confusing but fun. I hope one day I can get pictures like that, What size lens did you use?

[brandon]

Wow awesome shots, I have just taken up photography its confusing but fun. I hope one day I can get pictures like that, What size lens did you use?

 

thanks! those were shot with a 500mm f/4 lens

 

 

 

[ratherboutdoors]

You always have some great shots! I can't imagine the time you spend perfecting you craft. Well done!

[coreyhkh]

Hey I am just wondering how you go about finding the Eagles, are they really common in Alaska? and how close are you able to get even with a 500mm it seems you would have to get pretty close.

[brandon]

Here along the west coast there's eagles everywhere, and even more so in the winter as eagles are a migratory species...well most are anyways. There will always be local resident eagles just like there's migratory waterfowl but there's also resident ones. The resident eagles are the ones that will be more familiar with the area, and if there's people in the area, more familiar with people and less afraid. These are the ones you want to try and photograph as they'll tolerate sneaking in a bit closer. My 500mm lens does allow me to reach pretty far so I don't always need to get extremely close..which is pretty convenient when it comes to photographing bears. And another thing is just being patient. When I show up to a spot I generally just sit and watch what's going on for a bit. Just take in the behaviour of the birds or whatever wildlife I'm shooting. Once they're aware of my presence and don't see me as a threat anymore, I can start to set up and slowly make my way closer. I've waited hours before just to gain an animals trust and it's always worth the wait! Hope this answers your question!

[silly]

MHmmmm nice

[missyont]

These are STUNNING!

[recordfish]

Those birds are just beautiful!

[waso]

Those birds are just beautiful!

 

WOW!!