I grew up in the sixties and seventies when scientists were concerned that bald eagles would become extinct. Even though they’ve made a great recovery and I see one at least two or three times a year in the city, because of that background I still get excited every single time as if I’m seeing the last bald eagle on the planet.
I’ve had terrible luck with photographing them though. Usually when I see one there’s nowhere to pull the car over even if I happen to have my camera with me. On the few occasions I had my camera and wasn’t driving, the eagle was either way too high in the sky or took me by surprise and I didn’t have time to change shutter speed to get a non-blurry pic.
In early December I drove up to La Conner for the day to visit my mom and I finally had some better luck. This young eagle was perched in a tree not too far from the road and there was room on the shoulder for me to pull over. I still had to crop the heck out of this, but it’s my first successful attempt.
It wasn’t full good luck though. One of its parents was perched in another tree, but branches were in the way so I wasn’t able to get a clean shot of its beautiful white head. Sad face.
On the way back home I was treated to a lovely view of Mt. Baker, with some wintering trumpeter swans grazing out in the field.
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Wow. I’ve never seen a juvie eagle….or at least not that I recognized. I’ve only seen bald eagles in the wild a handful of times. Every single time it was overwhelmingly amazing.
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I’d only seen a young one once before (when I knew what I saw). I was by the lake last year and it flew right over me. That was one of the took me by surprise times. It was flying fast, I didn’t have my long lens on, and my shutter speed was too slow, so all I got were pics with a dark, distant, blurry bird. I’m surprised you don’t see more of them where you are.
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I was at the Skagit two weeks ago. Saw eagles and lots of snow geese passing the Skagit Valley.
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Just read your post. You got some great shots on that previous trip when it was sunny. The weather this year hasn’t been much encouragement for getting out! I did see some snow geese closer to the freeway but there wasn’t a place to pull off the road for pics.
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I saw a bald eagle on that day before getting to Rockport, right off I-5 between exit 198 and 199, on a tree next to the Snohomish River. You are right, the weather hasn’t been good this year. Lots of rain and grey skies. 😦
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