Since moving to Texas I didn’t expect to be able to photograph my beloved Eagles during the winter of the 2015 / 2016 season. Worked wanted me to travel back to central Illinois, so I went the weekend before to squeeze three days in the field chasing owls and Eagles.
Friday 2/12/16 Day 1 Owls and Eagles
Saturday 2/13/16 Great Horned & Barred Owls
Sunday 2/14/16 was a snow out, guess that is what I deserved for leaving Miss Sharon home only on Valentines Day. I was scheduled to go after Snowy owls in the morning and Eagles in the afternoon.
Best of the Eagles from Friday and Saturday afternoon sessions. Lot if changing light conditions. Overall I’m happy with this batch.
This juvenile was very active both days and had two longer flight feathers so I could always recognize this one.
Canon 5DMK3 + 100-400 MK2 and they still get so close. This was shot at 100mm.
One of my new favorites from this trip.
I still don’t have a Talon to Talon upside down shot 🙁 A third eagle ended up with this fish as it was dropped.
Their Talons are so sharp, this guy ended up cutting the head off this fish. The body ended up falling back into the water and the eagle ended up with only the head.
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Life is good and I am blessed!
Kent
The Launch
Batman! I usually don’t post wildlife photos where you can’t see the eyes, but I liked this wing position.
Flyover
The Launch Series!
Even though Mike and Robert know areas where the owls hang out there is never a guarantee that you will be able to find them.
How about the first Great Horned Owl?
Hope to have some launch series and flight shots edited in the next day or two. After I get caught up on Owl edits, I’ll switch over and work on some Eagles, but I have 1400 plus eagles shots to process. I might have been a little trigger happy knowing this was my one and only eagle trip of winter 2015/2016 Eagles.
I can’t remember who but somebody asked if I had any cardinals, so I called this guy in for his closeup!
The wind was SO strong it messed with the eagles ability to fish. This one fished with the wind instead of against the wind like normal.
Classic Right to Left Talon pose
I feel the straight on shots are the hardest to keep in focus. Straight On!
Day 2 was brown owls in the morning and eagles in the afternoon. Three to Six inches of snow coming in tomorrow so might have to cut this outing a day early, but going to try to find some Snowy Owls in the morning. Might use Sunday evening for more editing.