FLYING FISH!

I do not know this eagle ,but caught him going after a fish.
The funny thing is that his grip slipped when he hit the fish and that made the fish launch up into the air! Not only did it launch up into the air,but it actually arced over top of the eagle and almost came down onto his head! I’d never in a thousand years be able to get something so bizarre again!

Romeo on the Move

Once again I wasn’t paying as close attention as I should of been to my shutter speed! Romeo was traveling faster than I thought.
It still works as a Abstract.(good old abstracts !)

Being Chased

I don’t know if this is Moe or Maggie? The Ravens were nesting over on Morpheus island and chase poor old Moe and his mate away all the time. Eagles will eat their eggs if they get the chance.
However,if their food is steady and plentiful.I see no reason why they would?
After the nesting for the Ravens was over(2 months at most),the Ravens took off and Moe/Maggie resumed their perch trees on Morpheus Island.

Strawberry Island Ferry

I shot this at sunset and found Rod Palm at the window seat of his ferry. This ferry use to work in Vancouver.
Rod put this Ferry up onto the Strawberry island and is using it as accommodation. He has a beautiful spot in Clayoquot Sound.
Rod is also our local whale expert. Jim Darling is also a Cetacean expert,but does not live here year round like Rod.
Whenever I come across a sighting of something interesting,I always send it along to Rod. He keeps records of all the animal sightings.

Juliette Coming In

I caught her coming in on a fish. I like Deadman Island because the sun hits it very nicely . All the other eagles nests I know are in shade. They have the only one in golden sunshine when the sun gets low. Thats the trick. When the sun gets low! Thats the best light!

Jumping

Another shot of a eagle jumping. You have to remember that I’m holding my lense on him all the time,in order to get him jumping. When your in a boat thats moving with the wind and tide,it doesn’t take long until my arms are numb from blood draining. Usually they seem to jump when I drop my arms to rest!

Lighthouse Sunset

I went out to the Lighthouse and hung around until the sun set. The cloud structure and he type of light was excellent. The violet shade is a rare colour to find for sure.
The ocean was heaving and it was hard to keep the lens steady!

Lighthouse Sunset

A rain storm was passing in behind and provided a great backdrop. I like the golden light coming from the glass in the top of the Lighthouse!
It’s always dangerous going out here. If my motor were to quit ,I’d be drifting and it was about to get dark. I carry my cell with me and keep it in a waterproof container. So I could call for help,but you never want to be in that position!

Migration

These geese were passing through on their way to their summer feeding grounds up north. I waited for them to be over top of the Long Beach Lodge.
The light was poor,but you take what you can get!

Savannah Sparrow

A friend of mine identified this bird and told me that they nest on one of the Aleutian Islands.

Belted Kingfisher

Trying to get a shot of these guys in flight ain’t easy! They like to hang around tree limbs over the water and dive into the water when a small fish comes by.

Almond Islet Eagle

This guy is further down the Inlet. He almost always is on his perch tree at Almond Islet. Kind of skittish!

Albert

This eagle is always down the inlet on Almond Islet. He tends to be skittish and it didn’t take long for him to jump.

Jumping

When a eagle decides to jump ,they will have a very powerful down stroke to get them off of the limb and they than descend with gravity. Falling will increase their speed and the wings will have enough air flowing over top of them to produce a strong upward lift. Thus ,flight!

Skimming

This eagle came in at the same moment a boats wake was starting to go by. The small waves were large enough to cause the eagles talons to clip the top of the waves top.
and yes he did get the fish.
My composition is poor in this shot. I cut off his rear. I would of liked his butt to be completely in the shot. I try never to cut off a animals body,but with eagles moving so bloody fast,sometimes my panning is a little off. However,not off enough to throw this shot out!

Arakan Eagle

This eagle and it’s mate live on the Arakan Islands up in Lemmens Inlet. I do not see them very much. Partly because they have a spot that you can only get into during high tide. They live off of the mud flats.

Opps !

One of the Monas Island gang missed his fish. I liked that he also turned to his right to give me more of a profile. Very polite ,considering that he missed supper!

Romeo’s Sunset

The light in this shot is what I would like to have all the time! Instead ,this light lasted about 15 minutes. Anything shot in this light would be beautiful!
The sun is just on the verge of setting. Only the longest wavelengths can get through the atmosphere. The thickness of the atmosphere filters shorter wavelengths out. It’s the Reds,Oranges that are left standing. These wavelengths are very powerful compared to the others and can punch through our atmosphere near sunset. Remember that when the sun is about to set,the thickness of the atmosphere is much greater than when the sun is directly overhead. This extra air is enough to filter out shorter wavelengths and thus leaving only the long warm wavelengths. Thats why sunsets are red or orange.

Reflection

I like this shot because of what the eagles tail is doing to the water. The tail exerts tremendous downward pressure at this moment and you can see that the air has forced a depression in the water right behind the eagle. Even though he never touched the water,he’s affecting the surface movement!

Juliette Landing

I’m always watching to see if they go for this particular perch spot. It’s a good spot to get them fully spread with their wings!

Immature Eagle

I’m going to take a guess that this fellow is between 3-4 yrs old. I do not know who’s young he is. He was passing through the harbour.

Curious ?

This eagle was checking something out in the water,or he was just curious?

Coming In

This eagle was coming in at full speed and I was lucky to get this shot. When they tuck ,they move!

Peek a Boo

Occasionally,I get a shot were you can see their eye through their end feathers. I always love it when I get lucky enough to get one of these!

Eagle Grabbing A Fish

You can see the speed that they put into grabbing a fish. I’m sure they have to be very quick,because the fish move very quickly as well!

The Daredevil’s Mate,Delilah

She came in and was just an inch off of the water. Notice that she still has a ways to go until she is near her prey. She hasn’t opened her talons yet. They swing around and glide in on their prey,adjusting with their tail feathers.

Harbour Seal

These guys are always so curious about people. I once had a very young one come up to me in the shallows not more than 20 feet away.

Romeo Looking

Romeo was very content to stay perched on this branch ,even though it was very windy out.

Strange

I’m not sure whats going on here. The eagle on the left is a full matured female and the eagle on the right is a young male. Maybe 4 yrs old.
I think this eagle is one of it’s offspring from 4 years ago and Mom is telling him to take a hike……..but in a motherly way! I have seen a mother go after last years young violently!
Each eagle has a individual personality and as a result,some are aggressive and some are submissive.They and all animals have different personalty’s, like our cats and dogs do!

Sunset Grab

This is a different angle that I do not normally like to get. However,the water is bright enough in the background to give the eagle a good contrast value.

Freckles

Freckles was out flying around. I have never seen him go after a fish! I do not know why this is happening? I have never seen an immature eagle get a fish! I have seen several very interested ,but no attempts!
You can see how the colour of his youth is fading out at his tail feathers.Soon he will be an adult.

Looking

This fellow seemed curious about what was going on. They sometimes fly over to check me out.

Power Stroke

This eagle is at the top of his power stroke. You can see the amount of force on the wings. They need a huge first stroke to get them off of the waters surface.
Kind of looks like we do when we do the Standing Broad Jump!

Heron in a Mussel Bed

I saw this heron on the SW corner of Morpheus Island and went up tide and shut the motor off. I drifted around the corner in silence and was able to get fairly close before he spooked.

Juliette’s Moon

You can see that there is some high thin cloud making the moon soft. It’s best to shoot the moon after a rainstorm. The rain absorbs all the suspended material floating around in the air. The less of that really tiny floating debris,the better you’ll be able to see a sharp moon!

Romeo’s Moon

Once again,that thin high cloud is diffusing the light and making the moon appear soft. Still nice!

Moe with Fish

Moe grabbed a fish and swung north,allowing me to get Strathcona behind him.

Wide Eyed Romeo

It’s only a matter of thousandths of a second before he hits the fish. When they raise their talons,you know he means business!

Kingfisher in Flight

These guys are so small and flighty,that trying to get a shot of them close up is a even bigger challenge than eagles.

River Otter

I came across this guy north of Morpheus island and he seem preoccupied with something else and not me.

Heron and Strathcona

I was about 100 meters away from this guy and I still spooked him at that distance! However,I was able to get more of the mountains in as a result!

River Otter

I was able to follow this guy for 15 minutes or so. he was more preoccupied with eating the small fish that he had caught. This happened near sunset and bathed the water and him in a warm light.

Eagle with Strathcona

I always love getting a shot of a eagle with a great background! The best background is without a dought ,Strathcona!

Opps!

They seem to miss about a third of the time.But don’t worry,they always turn around and come back.

Daredevil Grabs a Fish

When I track a eagle it’s just a guessing game on the pan. The closer you get to them,the tougher it is to keep him centered.
In theory you want it to be like a bike wheel. That is with you at the hub and your subject at the rim,with a spoke connecting you both! That way you don’t pan too slow or too fast!
You always do one or the other! Very rarely can you pan and keep him perfectly centered. That is with him full frame. If the eagle is far away and takes up less than 25% of the viewfinder,than it would be very easy to pan. The problem comes when you want to get close.

Sushi

Romeo was having some sushi at sunset.

Monas Island Gang

One of them was coming in ,and I got a shot off with Strathcona in the background at sunset.

One Talon Grab

This fellow was able to grab a fish with only one talon!

Juliette at Sunset

The light was filling her underside nicely. It would of been nicer if she had fanned her tail feathers!

Strathcona Paddle

This group was heading out for the weekend and I simply went ahead of them and waited for them to cross my composed scene.