Monthly Archives: December 2014

Lock and Dam 14 Eagle Counts

Posted on by
14

As the temperatures drop, the eagle counts and action goes up along the Big Muddy! This set of photos were shot at Lock and Dam 14 on the Mississippi River from the Iowa side. Lot of us photographers that still work for a living get to pretend we were retired the week between Christmas and New Years.

My humble offerings from yesterday 12/30/2015

1) Stop and Go Eagle
PBKJ5939-FrameShop2) Locked onPBKJ5769-FrameShop3) One footerPBKJ6382-FrameShop4) little backlitPBKJ6698-FrameShop5) Head On!PBKJ6784-FrameShop6) Anybody up there?PBKJ6675-FrameShop7) Stretch it outPBKJ6722FBCover-FrameShop8) Bank LeftPBKJ6745-FrameShop9) JuviPBKJ6180-FrameShop

Can’t believe I have to go back to work, just when things are heating up!

Enjoy what you read and the photos? Subscribe to be notified of future posts via email by either clicking the Follow button at the bottom or the Subscribe section on the right!  Feel free to leave a comment.

Thanks for stopping by, Life is good, and I am blessed!
Kent

How Many is Enough Eagles?

Posted on by
1

Today at Lock and Dam 14 along the Mississippi River just South of Le Claire Iowa under perfect blue skies, I took 41 GIG’s of Eagle photos.  Just in case you are wondering that is 1715 images.  After the first pass through I was able to delete almost 200.  That means 1500 images to edit.  Just a few teasers for tonight.

This one reminds me of our dog Sadie the ways she cocks her head.PBKJ6675-FrameShop

I was being watched!PBKJ6158-FrameShop

JuvenilePBKJ6180-FrameShop

The DivePBKJ6240-FrameShop

Money Shot!PBKJ6251-FrameShop

Stop and Go Eagle buzzing the Lock’s traffic control. PBKJ5939 PBKJ5924 PBKJ5769

Almost.  Very heavy crop.  Still haven’t caught two eagles talon to talon!PBKJ5684

 

Enjoy what you read and the photos? Subscribe to be notified of future posts via email by either clicking the Follow button at the bottom or the Subscribe section on the right!  Feel free to leave a comment.

Thanks for stopping by, Life is good, and I am blessed!
Kent

Too much lens!

Posted on by
3

I love my canon 1DX paired with my 500mm prime lens.  Sometimes I get lucky or unlucky and my subjects gets too close.  I could feel the down force of this wings as she few right over me!

PBKJ6299-FrameShop

Sick of eagle and Snowy Owl photos yet?  Got a new tip this morning on a Bobcat!  I spend 5 days stalking one in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and never got a photo, now there is one within 15 miles of my house and I am on vacation this week.  How cool would that be?  Hope my tip isn’t a wild bobcat chase!

Enjoy what you read and the photos? Subscribe to be notified of future posts via email by either clicking the Follow button at the bottom or the Subscribe section on the right!  Feel free to leave a comment.

Thanks for stopping by, Life is good, and I am blessed!
Kent

Central Illinois Snowy Owls

Posted on by
4

Last Sunday I was able to find a Snowy Owl in McLean County.  Both the landowner and the fellow photographer asked not to share the location of this bird.  So I didn’t.  I believe this to be the same bird and moved to Gridley and now El Paso.

SUPER HEAVY CROP!

PBKJ6138-FrameShop

This bird’s location has been shared on eBird.   This bird is in the middle of a 1.5 mile by 2 mile plot.

The survival rate of these young juvenile birds is less than 40%.  The Snowys up north have had an abundance of food, so instead of laying 1 or 2 eggs, they are laying as many as 5 or 6. This is forcing young birds to come further south in search of food. My advice is don’t leave your car. use binoculars or a spotting scope. If you want photos, leave us to one of us professional photographers. I have over $20K in my camera and lens. If you are lucky enough to see one stay in your car and enjoy God’s beauty!

Want to learn more about the irruption of Snowy Owls.

I also found out that all the Snowy Owls in Lee County last year where trapped from O’Hare airport and relocated there by the Illinois Department Of Natural Resource.

I feel very blessed to be able to bring these photos to people that might have never been able to see them on their own!

If we respect these Snowy Owls and don’t harass them they could stay around until end of March.  Feel free to e-mail or text me any sightings.

Be safe, Happy Birding, Be respectful of the birds and landowners property!

Kent

 

Christmas Bald Eagles Fishing at L&D 14

Posted on by
Reply

Just haven’t had 7 or 8 hours to edit all the eagles from Christmas Day.  Fishing Eagles are my favorite pose!  Talons out, tail down, death from above.  The adult Eagles almost NEVER miss the fish, the juveniles catch rate is no where close to the adults.

Classic Pose: AKA the Money Shot!PBKJ5747 Amazing what 10 minutes a little sun will do for the water color.PBKJ5958These are all from different passes. Lift OffPBKJ5715The stretch for the skies.PBKJ5816You can tell from the different water colors and lighting conditions these were 4 different passes.  They were fishing too close and I clipped wings on ever pass. Sometimes big glass is too big, but 90% of the time I love my setup or wish I had more reach!

Here is a complete fishing series from last season.  My camera shots 12 FPS, so keep in mind this all happens in less than a second!

Complete Fishing Sequence 

Enjoy what you read and the photos? Subscribe to be notified of future posts via email by either clicking the Follow button at the bottom or the Subscribe section on the right!  Feel free to leave a comment.

Thanks for stopping by, Life is good, and I am blessed!
Kent