Dale Matson
Click On Photos To Enlarge
It is possible to get fairly close
to the many Bald Eagles at Millerton Lake. There are two nesting pairs and
several seasonal visitors. Additionally, the Bald Eagles seem to be used to and
tolerate the proximity of people. They live close to the lake and take prey
from the water including fish and Coots. They are often seen on boulders down
by the lake looking for fish near the surface.
There is also a resident pair of
Golden Eagles at Millerton Lake. I also believe there is at least one juvenile
Golden Eagle which has white under the wings. Golden Eagles like open terrain with rolling hills and cliffs and
feed on rabbits and ground squirrels. Unlike the Bald Eagles, they are not easy
to approach. The juvenile Golden Eagles look similar to juvenile Bald Eagles.
There are no “Drive By”
opportunities to photograph the Golden Eagles who hang out on the Madera side
of the lake along the cliffs of Millerton Lake and Finegold Creek. If you take
the Millerton Lake eagle boat tour you may see them high on the cliffs in these
areas but even long lenses on good cameras will not make them very big.
I have done a considerable amount
of hiking and climbing over the last two years in my efforts to take a
telephoto photo of the Golden Eagles. This year, I have had some success. I use
the Sony AR73 and a 560mm Sony lens. This is nearly equal to a spotting scope
when the photos are cropped.
My perched photos are rare and
small. Most of my photos are of them flying above me in ever higher circles
until they are out of sight. They are beautiful to watch and their eyes are
equal to my binoculars. So when I am looking for them, they are looking at me
before I ever see them. Here are some of my Golden Eagle Photos.
Juvenile Golden?
Perched Golden From Eagle Boat Tour
For close photos of Golden Eagles please see my article on Eastman Lake
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