Mid Sierra Musings: A Surprise Golden Eagle Story Part 1

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.