A Forks Eagle

I found this eagle in a tree just outside Forks, Washington.  I wish the light had been better, but we're not having summer this year in Western Washington.  Given what people are enduring in the East and the Midwest, I know I should be grateful.  Still, it would be nice to have some sunlight and temperatures in the seventies at least.  --EFP

The Seabeck Eagles--Again

I rather like this one, which I got just today.  --EFP

The Seabeck Eagles Revisited

The first two here are juveniles--less than two years old.

I took the last one, below, with a 650-1300-mm zoom lens at 1300-mm--the equivalent of a 1950-mm lens on my Nikon D200.

The Seabeck Eagles Revisited

The light today was finally halfway decent, allowing me to get some good shots. Click on each photo for a better view.  --EFP

Back to Seabeck

Thus far, this year has been frustrating.   We seem to have had a lot more eagles hanging around last May, and the May before that.  To make matters worse, the weather won't cooperate.  I've just had to stand out in the rain, keeping my camera as dry as I could.
       The eagle in this first shot was particularly frustrating.  I got within about 75 feet of him, but that distance included about 30 feet of mud flat in between the oyster bed I was on and the one he was on.  Judging from past experience, I must have been within his comfort zone, but he sat and sat and took his good old time deciding to fly off.  It was as if he were saying, "Come on out on the mud flat; I dare you!"  As I've explained before, the mud flats are really treacherous.  You can sink up to your knees and beyond.  That's how I lost a cell phone a couple years ago.  I sank up to my knees and pitched forward, launching my cell phone into a pool of salt water.  But I did manage to keep my camera dry.  That's the important thing!  --EFP

The Seabeck Eagles Revisited

I had a better day at Seabeck today.  The light wasn't great, but at least it wasn't raining, and the eagles did come in fairly close once the tide started coming in.  --EFP

The Seabeck Eagles

No, the "Seabeck Eagles" are not a football team.  They're the real thing.
      Every year, in May, large numbers of migrating eagles come through our area on their way to Alaska.  The mud flats at the mouth of Big Beef Creek in Seabeck, WA, is a great place to photograph them, particularly when we're having minus tides.  Below, please find a few of the best shots I got yesterday.  Click on them for a better view.  --EFP