Bald Eagles Continued

[deetheturk]

Wonderful images Christina, I would be happy with any one of them

[chauncey]

I hope you realize how proud you make us feel regarding your path of learning this tradecraft...
those are great images.
I should pay more attention to sharpening but usually I set mine to 100 in LR and fugetaboutit.

But, as we've talked about before...I won't hesitate to make a complete duplicate of the original>
flatten>use HDR Toning merely to accentuate the detail, taking care to maintain proper coloring>
then insert that HDR version as a layer over the original. You can then apply a mask and/or decrease
that layer's clarity if the effect might be excessive.

[Brownbear]

John and Nick...
Thank you for advising with specifics, very helpful. Nick, I wish I could've been closer to capture that screeching face up close.

Dan...
Thank you for advising and for helping me with my eagles. I will leave the image with too much negative space up for others to learn from but for my own purposes I will try some 8 x 10 crops. Yes, there are Eagles in Boundary Bay by the ocean supposedly there for the waterfowl but even when flocks of birds/ducks fly by my eagles remain perched. They should be there for another month or so, so I'll visit again. No more eagle posts unless it is an in flight.

David... Thank you.

Chauncey...
Thank you. I am fortunate to have been able to have benefited from the great advice and encouragement from the members of this forum, and that includes you. Sharpening at 100... lol... I'm pushing it if I set my sharpening to 30 or 35. Okay, I will try the HDR thing on one of my swans.

[NorthernFocus]

... there are Eagles in Boundary Bay by the ocean supposedly there for the waterfowl but even when flocks of birds/ducks fly by my eagles remain perched....

Yes, they do prey on the waterfowl. They take them on the water. Ducks/geese fly too fast for them. I've witnessed an eagle take a duck once. And I've seen one flying carrying a half eaten goose.

There is a breeding pair that nest in our local bird sanctuary. In the spring they raise their own young by feeding them chicks that they raid from the nests of ducks, geese, gulls, etc. in the sanctuary. Then about the time that the birds are all fledging the salmon run starts so the eagles have an ample supply of food at the nearby salmon streams. The fledgling eagles begin to learn fishing skills in the target rich environment of the salmon spawning stream. Cruel as it may seem, it is an awesome cycle of life that plays itself out every year. Even here in Alaska most people are oblivious to it other than watching it on NatGeo.

[Brownbear]

Thank you as always for sharing your expertise. I will try to find an Eagle nest this Spring.

Yes, they do prey on the waterfowl. They take them on the water. Ducks/geese fly too fast for them. I've witnessed an eagle take a duck once. And I've seen one flying carrying a half eaten goose.

There is a breeding pair that nest in our local bird sanctuary. In the spring they raise their own young by feeding them chicks that they raid from the nests of ducks, geese, gulls, etc. in the sanctuary. Then about the time that the birds are all fledging the salmon run starts so the eagles have an ample supply of food at the nearby salmon streams. The fledgling eagles begin to learn fishing skills in the target rich environment of the salmon spawning stream. Cruel as it may seem, it is an awesome cycle of life that plays itself out every year. Even here in Alaska most people are oblivious to it other than watching it on NatGeo.

[Nicks Pics]

Thank you as always for sharing your expertise. I will try to find an Eagle nest this Spring.

Eagles are very sensitive to the presence of people near their nests, so don't clime up the tree for a close-up!

[marlunn]

Christina, fabulous set, really special images - I am very envious of your ability to get these and to be where they live in the wild, for me, a bit whimsical but I love #2 the most, its the 'you see these claws? - you come over here and see what I do with them' look that it has

[Brownbear]

Hi Nick,

Yes, they are and I hope you are joking and that you know that I wouldn't do anything that might disturb them or any wildlife... However, I do have a great imagination the thought just entered my mind that one way to get closer would be to buy a pair of stilts and learn to walk on them. Just joking!

Eagles are very sensitive to the presence of people near their nests, so don't clime up the tree for a close-up!

[Brownbear]

Thank you, Mark. Truly appreciated. I know how you feel because there are many birds that I only get to enjoy by viewing images by others. I'm glad you like #2 the most, sometimes the moment captured is the most enjoyable of all.

Christina, fabulous set, really special images - I am very envious of your ability to get these and to be where they live in the wild, for me, a bit whimsical but I love #2 the most, its the 'you see these claws? - you come over here and see what I do with them' look that it has

[NorthernFocus]

Eagles are very sensitive to the presence of people near their nests...

I guess we should be clear on what "near" means. Climbing their tree? Sure, they'd likely be pretty freaked out. Sitting quietly in plain view a hundred feet away? They could care less. But my observations are admittedly limited to birds around Prince William Sound and only to ten or eleven breeding seasons(depending on how many hours qualify for a season's observations). In my experience they keep an eye on you for a few minutes. Then once they've determined that you don't pose a threat, they go on about their business. So much so that it can be difficult to get eye contact photos.

I'm also fairly convinced that they learn quickly to recognize you too. I've showed back up at the same nest multiple days and after checking you out the first time they ignore you thereafter. I can assure you that they view crows as a much more imminent threat than people.

[Nicks Pics]

Hi Nick,

Yes, they are and I hope you are joking and that you know that I wouldn't do anything that might disturb them or any wildlife... However, I do have a great imagination the thought just entered my mind that one way to get closer would be to buy a pair of stilts and learn to walk on them. Just joking!

Nope, I didn't think you'd take any such measures to get a shot at them, I know you are a considerate photographer, but I once read that they were sensitive about human presence near their nests, but that may have been about Michigan eagles. I don't have experience with eagle nests like Dan does though. I did once read about a crazy researcher from a long time ago who climbed a tree to a nest, and took measurements, and could lay out flat on the nest it was that large. Then he took the chicks home and tried to raise them! :O What those crazy ornithologists used to do!