Eagles Return In 2012
The eagles have returned to Highbanks this year. However, I have not seen much of them until recently. This past week they have been more active, and I learned they have hatched 3 eaglets.
The evening when I saw the eagles, they had been down on the river bank. I was able to get a few shots of one of the pair while it was on a branch across the river. After a while both eagles had disappeared around the bend.
I was packing up my tripod to leave when I looked up and realized one of the eagles was about to fly by the deck. By the time I could get a clear shot of the eagle, all I got was tail feathers!
By this time, there were several people on the deck and we were watching the other eagle in the nest. After a short time I looked in the other direction and realized the mate was coming back up river with a fish! I got a few shots, again after it had passed by me. But it was quite a sight seeing the eagle fly by with a large fish in its talons!
After feeding on the fish, two of the three eaglets popped up for a peek.
Then we were treated to both parents sitting out of the nest while the eaglets were moving around in the nest.
Pileated Woodpecker
OK, it’s time for a break from the eagles. The photos you see here are from last winter. As I was hiking into the woods, I noticed a pileated woodpecker, working on a tree. The woodpecker was still working on the tree when I returned. It was amazing how much progress it had made in less than an hour!
2011 – Eagles Return to Highbanks
Well, it has been ages since I posted, and my last post was on the eagles at Highbanks. There is another pair nesting there this year, and I’ve been shooting them as often as I can. Here are my two favorite shots so far. On this occasion, the eagle flew past the observation deck 3 times before it flew up and over the hillside.
An eagle flies past the deck at Highbanks as it gain altitude.
An eagle ascends near the observation deck at Highbanks Park
Eagle Pair
OK, it’s taken me a while to get these posted, this occurred a couple weeks back. One of the eagles was on a branch directly across from the observation deck. The next thing we know its mate decided to occupy the next branch over (which sent the first eagle back to the nest).
Eagle in flight
An eagle approaches a landing next to its mate
An eagle and its mate
Eagles Fight at Highbanks
As I mentioned in an earlier post, two new eagles appeared at the Highbanks eagles nest. The sixth image below shows the male from the nest vs. a younger, invading eagle.
Eagle 1Eagle 2
Eagle 3
Eagle 4
Eagle 5
Two Eagles Fight at Highbanks (click on image to see full view)
2 New Eagles at Highbanks!
Two new eagles appeared at Highbanks Metro Park today! This pair was not a welcome addition as far as the nesting eagles were concerned. There were at least two mid air battles between the eagles, some of which I was fortunate enough to capture. I will upload the images and more details tonight. Check back for more tomorrow!
Reworking Some Eagle Photos
Eagle Soaring - Better Sky Background
Eagle with Dramatic Sky Background
The next two images were shot on a different day and fortunately, feature a beautiful blue sky that really didn’t need any enhancing.
Eagle Soaring Over Highbanks
Eagle In Flight
More of the Eagles at Highbanks
Yesterday (Monday) I saw the female eagle again. I had decided to take an older 300mm lens (circa 1970s) to use if the eagles were stationary. The manual focus is challenging with digital cameras without the focus aids that the older 35mm cameras used. Since the eagle was sitting out and not moving I put the 300mm on the camera. Of course that was when the eagle took off and I didn’t want to risk trying to change lenses.
This was the closest the eagle has flown to the observation deck when I have been there:
Eagle flying near the Highbanks river overlook deck
Eagle at Highbanks Metro Park
Now both photos have been cropped to get this close. Am I completely happy with the images? No. I think I probably could have gotten a sharper image with the 200mm auto focus zoom lens. Am I going to complain though? NO! After all, I was there, experienced the ‘fly-by’ AND got the shot!
Eagles at Highbanks
In February I started hearing that eagles had been seen in Highbanks Metro Park. Wow!
(I’ve only seen an eagle in the wild once before and that time I was restricted to looking at it from behind a fenced area. I’ve always thought it ironic that I could only view our nation’s symbol of freedom from outside an area that I was restricted from entering!)
Since hearing of the eagles this year, I started walking out to the area where they had been reported (at the river overlook) and after a week I had my first encounter. A week later I was fortunate to be there when one of the eagles flew up the river near the overlook deck, and I snapped the images you see here:
Eagle in Flight near Highbanks Metro Park
- Eagle Over Snowy Landscape
Since the first encounter I have been blessed to see the eagles several times. I’ll have more updates in the near future.
Exhibit at Westminster-Thurber Community
I am currently exhibiting 15 pieces at the Westminster-Thurber Community in Columbus, Ohio. The exhibit runs from January through February of 2010.
While the purpose of the exhibits at Westminster-Thurber is to enrich the lives of its residents and visitors, the exhibit is open to the public. Thanks to the fine folks at Westminster-Thurber for giving me the opportunity to display my work. Thanks also to the Westbridge Camera Club who helped make this possible.