Mid Sierra Musings: A Boring Time But A Promising Time

Dale Matson

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Golden On Top Of Tree Keeping Watch

This time of year, around here, the eagles are laying low. Half the eagles are on the nest and the other half are standing guard nearby. There is not much to photograph. The bird on the nest is barely visible, usually with only the beak, eyes, and tail showing.

This is in stark contrast with when the chicks arrive and the pair of adults are out hunting for food for the chicks. By the time the eagle chicks are ready to fledge, the adults are hunting much of the day.

I have a rule of thumb. For both the golden and bald eagles, once the bird is on the nest, I don’t do much photographing. Once the chicks are hatched, the adults rarely abandon a nest but until then, the adults have no compunction about abandoning a nest.

It will be another month or so until the chicks are hatched. Goldens take a week or so longer than bald eagles. So, I wait and I wait. I observe from long distance. For example, I observe the goldens across Millerton Lake on the Madera side from the Fresno side. Even so, I often see the bird through binoculars or my super telephoto lens looking across the lake at me. Their eyes have built in binoculars.

Two Goldens On Madera Side Taken From Fresno Side of Millerton Lake

I often think of Luke Skywalker on his “Speeder Bike” as the goldens glide swiftly through the trees on the hillside as they search for food. They are amazing acrobats and hard to follow even from such a great distance.