I first saw a Bald Eagle in Utah a few years ago with my daughter and about six months later I saw a lovely juvenile eagle at a raptor centre in North Wales, since then I have been really keen to see another one in the wild and it was certainly high on my expectations for my Canadian adventure.
On the drive from Toronto to Thunder Bay I say a number of Turkey Vultures and a couple of Bald Eagles flying quite high but these were not photo opportunities.
This beauty was spotted while visiting Kakabeka Falls, initially it was perched high on an old tree on the far side of the gorge and I watched through my binoculars as it took off to go hunting.
As we walked around the cliff top path we came to a viewing platform to get a good view of the falls which are a truly spectacular sight. Looking downstream however we were able to catch a glimpse of the eagle perched on a branch around 20 - 30 feet away. It was really hard to see as it was sheltered by the branches and to get a good view it was necessary to lay on the decking and peer through the railings. That was no good for getting a clear photo though and to do that I had to stand on the inner railings and lean out as far as possible. With the heavy 150-600mm lens it was really difficult to hold it steady while keeping my balance at the same time, I didn't want to lose my camera or end up at the bottom of the gorge. Difficult as it was I am quite pleased with how the shots turned out.
In the first shot the eagle is looking intently at something in the river below although I don't think he was looking for food since it had not long eaten.
In the second shot he was looking directly at me and I think I have captured his piercing gaze. He clearly wasn't disturbed by our presence because he spent some time in this spot as we watched while he preened his feathers, but always keeping his eye on us.
No comments:
Post a Comment