I've been tracking these eagles all winter, but I'm not a wildlife photographer. That means that unless they are right up on me, I have almost no chance of getting a good shot of them. My lenses are designed for portraits and close-up work, not reaching out a hundred yards.
They say an eagle can see something as small as a rabbit from 3 miles away, and the eagles that live here are shy. Even if I make sure to go looking for them when I know they'll be hunting, they see me long before I see them and almost always they choose another field.
Except for this day.
I took an unexpected path down by the river right around hunting time, and then I laid down in the snow and the tall grasses. I moved my legs a couple of times, and I think it was just enough to pique their curiosity. They circled over me a few times, trying to figure out what I was, and I snapped away in the -10 cold. They kept high above me, but it was still a relative success given the limitations of my lenses. I'm no expert, but by the size I'm guessing this is the smaller Bald Eagle, which should make this Mr. Eagle and one of his sons or daughters? I know the young eagles don't get their white feathers for 4-5 years, but that's about the extent of my knowledge.
Someday still I'm hoping to get in much closer, but that will be on their terms.
