Mid Sierra Musings: Golden Eagles At Millerton Lake

Dale Matson

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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.