Photographing the regal bald eagle

Animals are creatures of habit, right? So when I started noticing a pair of bald eagles that would fly over my neighborhood almost the same time of the day, I started looking for them. The time? Early in the morning when I am out walking my own dogs. And as luck would have it, never with my camera.

So this past weekend, I noticed the birds in my next door neighbor’s tree. I was coming home from my last walk and about ran inside the house to grab my camera. Turns out I didn’t need to act so quickly. For the next 45 minutes, I stared at the top of the tree. Watching. Admiring. Observing.

And willing the bird to fly off so I could get some really cool flight shots.
I started getting tired of standing, so I ran back inside my garage to grab a chair. The eagle was preening herself at the moment. Surely, she’ll be there for a few more minutes, right?

Boy was I wrong. The treetop was empty and the bird no where to be seen. I swear just a minute has passed. Ok. Maybe two. Three?

Regardless, it was enough for me to miss a big moment.

Defeated, I thought, well, they’ll be out there again. I just hope it’s on a weekend when I’m not getting ready to go to work.

So the next morning, my husband is leaving the house and comes back inside to tell me the bird is back in the tree!

Can I possibly be so lucky two days in a row?

Sure enough, there she is. Same branch. Same direction. Same blue sky behind her.

I knew what I needed to do.

Stand on the street beneath the tree for as long as it took.

I love photographing wildlife. When I’m in the company of majestic animals such as bighorn sheep, pronghorn, wild horses and so on, time flies. I’ve always loved watching animal behavior, getting to know these wild creatures and who they are. I studied animal behavior when I was in college at Penn State University and had a dream of being the next Jane Goodall. Or Jacques Costeau.

Recently I’ve taken an interest in photographing the wild birds of Florida. There’s so many unique breeds and several great locations to watch and photograph them. Bald eagles being among those that have captivated my interest.

So being this close felt like a pinch me moment. I could see her watching all the activity in our neighborhood. When another dog walked by. When a car with a loud muffler drove down the road. When a bird landed in the branches below. I tried talking to her too. Told her how beautiful she is. Why I was there. And what I hoped to see her do.

For 45 minutes I stood in the road. Rarely taking my eyes off her. Neighbors wandered by wondering what was so intriguing. No one was as mesmerized as me. I remembered the lessons I’ve learned from legendary black and white photographer Clyde Butcher - how long he’s waited to get “the shot.” I know because I work for him too. I share his stories, and now I knew I needed to do what he’s so good at - be patient.

For once I had no where to be. Forty five minutes felt like forever. And yet just a moment in time. Suddenly, without warning, she popped her wings open and lifted her body out of the tree. My moment had come! And I was ready.

My longest lens is 200mm. I’ve been dreaming of what lens to get when I upgrade my camera equipment to mirrorless. Will 400mm be long enough? Perhaps I should wait and get the 600mm. I’ve learned to work with what I have - because sometimes it’s just the right lens. And right now, 200mm was perfect.

And in mere seconds, she was gone. My patience paid off. I captured the moment she took to flight. Just as I had been dreaming of doing for so long.