Anyone photograph Klamath basin Eagles?

[Ron Scholar]

I am thinking about taking a trip up to the Klamath Basin to photograph the eagles. Anyone have any experience in the area. I will have a limited time and could use some pointers.

[Kim Rollins]

I know it has been some time since your post and maybe you have already visited Klamath Basin but I got to just last week. Though many of the eagles that winter there have moved on for the seasons I have never seen so many eagles anywhere. Weather was not good while we were there so that hindered imaging. On the White River Section of the Lower Klamath Refuge I sat in one spot and could easily count 42 eagles within a quarter mile. A very interesting trip and I hope to return with better weather and kayak to do some touring.

[Brad Manchas]

I just noticed this as well. I was last down there just before Valentines Day weekend. Spent the day with Adam Jones and a few Canon reps. And we were all but skunked, a few eagles in the Tule Lake refuge area, weather was cold & windy but dry for the most part. But even with the 800mm f/5.6 or the 500mm shooting at 700mm the eagles were just too far out on the ice or in flight.

Had better luck on the return trip back up to SW WA and found a bunch of eagles eager to be photographed at Ridgefield NWR. This year has had the most numbers there I have seen in several years, along with the Nisqually Delta multiple dozens at time a bit earlier this year. Last week at Ridgefield we had 14 Balds.

[Ron Scholar]

We went up in late January. Saw lots of Eagles at the end of the driving tour of the Klamath NWR. There is a line of trees that was populated with Eagles in the morning and evening. Unfortunately, the birds were flying into the trees in the evening but the light backlit the birds. In the morning, they were lit nicely, but were flying of away from us so no flight shots to speak of (a lot of shots of the southbound end of a northbound bird so to speak). Folks familiar with the area said the population was on the thin side this year.