Nesting Bald Eagle w/young (In Texas)

[Michael Lloyd]

I drove to Llano this afternoon (about 2.5 hours from my home) to see if I could catch at least one of a pair of Bald Eagles on the nest. Apparently they've been nesting at the same site for years. At one point there were three adults raising chicks but one adult didn't show up a few years ago.

Shooting conditions were harsh to say the least. The setting sun was 30 degrees to camera right and that made for a horribly washed out sky. I spot metered on the bird and didn't worry about the blown out sky. I need to return to the site during the morning hours to try to get some shots in more optimal lighting conditions.

Bear in mind that these are wild birds shot in a wild environment. Nobody was tossing food out for them to fly to. Therefore there are twigs where I would rather there weren't and I couldn't use the Bettter Beamer for fear of disturbing the nesting Eagles (a federal offense). It is what is is...

I watched the parent feed 2 chicks for about an hour and a half. The other parent never came.

I just noticed that I used last years sig brush LOL

EOS1DsMKIII
600 f4L IS w/ 2x TCII (frankly I don't like the 2X TCII on this or any other lens but my 1.4X TCII died and 600mm wasn't enough reach.) = 1200mm

ISO 400
1/800
f8

[Todd Frost]

Fun to watch these grow up. We have a local nest near by (20 min) with much of the same problems. I have had a little luck with birds going to and from and perching in close trees.

Todd

[Axel Hildebrandt]

Great find, must be fun to photograph them. Too bad about the distance and light angle, hopefully you will get a chance in better light.

[denise ippolito]

Michael, I spent 3 weeks in a blind watching a pair of Eagles tend to their Eaglet, It was one of my greatest experiences. Thankyou for sharing!

[Michael Lloyd]

Thanks everyone. Eagles are a rare treat in Texas. A nesting pair that is so easy to see is a huge bonus. The distance I can't do anything about (private land) but the light is simply a matter of showing up at sunrise rather than sunset. Denise- that does sound like fun

[Michael Lloyd]

Here's a shot from behind my lens. It's with a 14mm lens it's not true to what you see but it gives an idea of what the conditions are like. One thing that is nice about this location is that the tree that they nest in is slightly below the shooting location in elevation. The site is literally next to a rural road. The highway department "kind of" paved the location after someone was killed there (kind of a blind spot when you drive in from the west). The nest is in the tree a little right of center frame near the horizon line.

One day soon I will get up at 3am and drive to the site to see if I can get some shots with the sun behind me. The more I look at the blown out sky the less I like the images that I have. Lessons learned and all that...