Bald Eagle Takes Flight. Sacramento Valley, California. January 8, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A bald eagle leaves its treetop perch and takes to the air

I had not photographed bald eagles before this past winter season, believe it or not — my attention has been mostly focused elsewhere when I’ve been around bird photography opportunities. From my very limited experience it seems like there are perhaps three phases to photographing these beautiful birds. First, find one (or more) of them — something I’m getting better at now that I understand a bit more where and when to look. Second, find a photographing position and wait — perhaps making photographs while waiting if a clear view of the bird is possible and especially if it is doing something visually interesting. Meanwhile, be ready for the next step… Third, when the bird suddenly and almost without warning takes to the air, be prepared to try to track it while photographing it burst mode during the likely brief interval when it is visible.

That was pretty much the story with this eagle. I found it in nearby trees as I came around a perimeter road at a wildlife refuge, pretty much were you would expect to find such a bird. I pulled over and opened the skylight on my vehicle so that I could have a fairly clear line of sight lookup up toward the tree. I made a few photographs, sat, waited, and then… with virtually no warning the eagle launched itself from the perch, first falling and then quickly catching the air with its large wings before departing through trees for some more distant location.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.
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