Many bird photography opportunities are momentary events that begin with a chance sighting. During the fast-moving action of the bird or birds, you begin to operate your camera with the bird focused in your lens – hopefully. Last Thursday, on a beautiful blue sky Minnesota morning as I drove the short distance north from Detroit Lakes to Tamarack National Wildlife Refuge, a chance sighting of a pair of adult Bald Eagles circling together just above the treetops had me judging where the best turnoff would be to stop with respect to the direction of the sunlight, beaming from the southeast, and the position of the eagles as they sailed in tight circles without moving a feather.
The treetops were another factor as I followed the movements of the eagles and focused on the closest one. Taking a few representative photos as the eagle swept across the sunscape, the slightly smaller eagle showed a broken outer primary feather. That’s when the larger female followed with her ever-closer circle toward me, and I waited a moment until I saw her plumage brighten as she sailed vertically before me. Even then, the eagles began dipping lower, slipping behind leafless branches for as much as half of their circles.
This was a simple photo opportunity, successful to a degree, with no tech changes beyond my standard camera settings. It all came down to the beautiful sunlight and the soaring eagles surrounded by deep blue sky color; plus being in the right place at the right time, with the eagles positioning to my advantage and circling ever-closer. All I had to do was act and react, and that worked out pretty well too. I’m lucky to have many opportunities to photograph Bald Eagles, which means they tend to appear in this publication more often than may be expected. But in this case, the eagle is a nice example of how quick action to take advantage of a potential bird photo opportunity with a bird or birds can become a very exciting, rewarding, and memorable experience – whether the birds before you are juncos, or herons, or eagles. Get out there, stay alert, and Good Luck!
Article and Photographs by Paul Konrad
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