It was an awesome, albeit cold morning photographing bald eagles and deer in the canyon. A cold wind was blowing down the canyon from the frozen peaks of the Continental Divide, but we stood in the cold until we were near hypothermia, hoping for the hero shot of one of the great raptors flying down to the river to catch a trout.
The first trip upstream was encouraging in that we saw several bald eagles, although as in the last couple of trips, they allowed us few opportunities for pictures. This early in the season, the great raptors are still a bit jumpy in the presence of people. The good news was that we estimated that there are at least four eagles calling Eleven Mile Canyon home this winter season. Hopefully, that accounts for our two nesting pairs.
We were fortunate to see this herd of mule deer foraging for food and water along the banks of the South Platte River as we approached the bottom of the canyon on our return. It is such a cold and inhospitable in the canyon in the winter that few deer venture down to the water. They didn’t seem too upset by our presence, and milled around a while for pictures before climbing back up the steep ridge to the west.
On the return trip of our second journey upstream, one of the eagles finally found a branch and a section of water that he found to his liking. We carefully parked the jeep and got out with our gloves and long lenses. This time the eagle stood still, intently watching us from his perch across the stream. I set my camera to shutter priority mode with a speed of a 2000th of a second in preparation for his inevitable flight.
However, this time the flight did not come quickly. We grew colder and colder as the icy wind penetrated several layers of winter protection. My hands grew stiff and my knees began to ache as the great bird held his ground. For a time I switched my 1.4x teleconverter for the heavier 2x, giving me 800mm of focal length for this wonderful closeup portrait.
A Short Video Clip
The Big Event
Eventually the eagle began to fidget and adjust his feathers, giving warning that he was considering a flight. Finally, just about as hypothermia was about to set in, the event happened. At that moment it was fortunate that I was prepared, with my camera trained on the action. My camera maintained focus lock as the eagle left his perch and flew downstream.
We hoped that we would get another chance to photograph him, but this time he chose a spot high on the ridge to rest, and watch over his domain below. At that distance he was just a speck, identifiable only by his brilliant white colored head against the blazing blue Colorado sky.
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Steven W. Krull is a renowned photographer and author who has been photographing and writing of the beauty and wildlife of the Colorado Rocky Mountains for over two decades. Please visit his website at S.W. Krull Imaging to view his work, including thousands of prints for sale, stock images for commercial use, and his library of published books.
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Colorado Photographer / Author / Wildlife Advocate | Steven W. Krull 