It was a semi great day of photography including eagles and dipper song. Eagle photography wasn’t so great as I only saw one eagle that I know for sure. In fact my heart sank as I drove into the canyon. As always I look at the eagles nest expecting to see mama eagle and she wasn’t there. My first thought was that the egg was dead and the nest had been abandoned for the season. I watched for a while, hoping the mother was nearby and would be right back but she didn’t show.
American Dippers in the Sun
Discouraged as I was, I continued my journey upstream anyway. As I neared the big bend in the river I spotted car with a long lens sticking out of it so I stopped to investigate. A cute little American Dipper was perched on the rocks in the middle of the river so of course I had to stop and capture a few images 🙂 In fact the little guy was putting on such a good show that I was able to capture some video as well! In fact there were dippers at play all around the big bend so I had multiple opportunity for capture in the beautiful light of morning 🙂
My First Eagle
From there I drove all the way to the end of the canyon and back down to the entrance, seeing nothing but American dippers. However I was happy with my second look at the nest. One of the pair was perched on the main branch, but he quickly flew away. Once I understood the nest wasn’t abandoned I decided to take a closer look with my 10x binoculars. It took a bit of staring, but eventually I spotted the mama eagle through the sticks in the nest, way down inside. We still have a chance for eaglets this season!
A Few Eagle Captures
I was awarded with a couple opportunities for bald eagle pictures with limited success. An ill fated focus program change blew my first opportunity so I quickly decided to switch back to what I was using. Program 2 on the R7 is supposed to stay on subject while ignoring obstacles. That seems to be the best overall solution, and with a couple of tweaks that I’ll try next time. Perhaps even tomorrow with a trip to see the Sandhill Cranes down at Monte Vista!
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the Youtube video of the little dipper serenading his audience and a few more pictures from the adventure!
Additional Products and Services
If you enjoy the content and find it useful, please consider a purchase of my additional products and services. This is how I keep the site alive!
Professional Photographers of America (PPA)
Please feel free to visit my PPA Page where I am a member in good standing backed and insured by the best professional photographer association in the country. I can be contacted through the form available on my portfolio there.
Â
