Dale Matson
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Golden Eagle Far Above Me
I have photographed quite a few
eagles over the past few years but most have been bald eagles. I was aware that
there was a nesting pair of golden eagles at Millerton Lake and spent quite
some time trekking about last summer attempting to see and photograph the
elusive eagles in an area where they are reputed to reside. The trek was futile and filled with the dread of rattle snakes and the reality of fox tails.
I have found Goldens to be less
common and cordial and more elusive than bald eagles in this area. I have even
had a bald eagle land in a tree directly above me. Even with binoculars, we are
no match for the eyesight of an eagle. They know you are there before you know
they are there.
At the end of January, Sharon, a
friend Carol and I had a lead on a possible area where the golden eagles
perched during the day. We hiked to the area we thought that they might be and
waited…and waited. As we were about to leave, I said, “Let’s wait another 15
minutes. Not long after that our friend spotted both eagles flying toward us.
One even briefly landed in a nest and flew away again. I had my camera and big
lens with me and got precious photos as they flew by. From this point on, I was
hooked and wanted more photos. I told the ladies that I would be ready next
time!
This was a similar experience I had
several years ago when I embarked on a quest to photograph the rare and
endangered Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep. Since that time, I have learned more
about photography and my own physical limitations. I still return to the
eastern Sierra Nevada to photograph the sheep. Knowing where they are and when
they are there is the key to photographing them. The same thing is true of
eagles. For example, if you want to photograph bald eagles, look for a cluster
of coot below a tall Yellow Pine.
When we got home, I downloaded my
photos to discover that I only had a few golden eagle photos among many
red-tailed hawk and buzzard photos. So much for my ability to discriminate
between raptors.
This experience evolved into a
mission (I don’t want to use the word ‘obsession’). The trek to the nest was a
pilgrimage of sorts. It was filled with rituals that preceded it. The pre-hike
checklist got ever longer. I also did a considerable amount of reading about
goldens and watched every YouTube video available. I was metaphorically
gradually being sucked into the crushing talons of the eagles.
I kept a log of my visits to the
area and what I observed. There were several visits to the viewing area with
the empty nest in sight and an occasional fly over by one of the goldens. There
were a couple of times that a golden perched about 150 meters above me and I
was able to get a photo. The perch was empty and suddenly the bird would simply
appear there. As uncomfortable as it was sitting motionless in my camouflage
two words came to mind. Those words were, “Snow Leopard”. I had seen a
documentary on Snow Leopards and the absolute agony the photographer went
through to film these magnificent animals. Actually, the camouflage didn’t fool
the eagles anyway and I went to more comfortable clothes.
In mid-March, I arrived at my view
site about 150 meters from the nest to see a golden eagle sitting on the nest. Could it be? I decided to leave and
when I got up, she flew away. There were two eggs in the nest. To be continued.
Note: I used a Sony A7R3 With the 100-400mm GM lens with a 1.4X TC. I then shot in cropped mode which made the shots 800mm. I then further cropped the photos to about 1,000mm. The result is the equivalent of a low power setting on a spotting scope.
The Two Goldens Photographed Across Millerton Lake
Someone Sitting On Top Of Pincushion Peak
View From Near The Nest
Empty Nest
Golden Eagle On Nest
Two Eggs
Hi there, Dale! I met you on Kaiser in 2017. Fairly irrelevant to this post, but do you have any history on Squaw Leap natives?? I figured you'd be a good person to ask! Thanks!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.awetstate.com/SanJoaquinSL.html
DeleteAlso Look up Big Sandy and Dumna Native Americans. These tribes were area residents.