Golden Eagles

[Tordan58]

Back in February at the coldest of winter, I spent some time photographing Golden Eagles from a hide designed for that purpose. Thet implied many hours waiting motionless in silence as this species is extremely wary and will leave the site, not to return for many days if they suspect human presence. Several layers of clothing were necessary to endure the -10C.

Here are some photos that I am quite pleased with.

Unfortunately, I was not able to get any good in-flight shots for technical reasons and also because of me as it would take hours before the next Eagle would show up and I was not able to keep attention all the time.













Cheers Tord

[art frames]

Tord, Absolutely lovely. What an immense privilege to be close and watch their behaviour. The pictures don't show the difficulty of what you were doing they look completely easy and natural. A real talent.

[Beagletorque]

Even better than you normal excellence!

[Olybirder]

That shows true dedication Tord. Terrific shots of an iconic bird.

Edit: I have just noticed the Hooded Crow among the Magpies. Nice.

Ron

[snag2000]

Wow.

Mike

[sapper]

Really nice shots. Love the cheeky magpies nicking a bit.

[OM USer]

You amaze us Tord. Excellent stuff.

[Phill D]

Magnificent birds and your shots also. What a treat to see.

[Luv2shoot]

So amazing. WOWSERS!

[IainMacD]

"Here are some photos that I am quite pleased with."
Understatement of the year so far Tord, these are stunning, you should be very pleased.
Well done for enduring the conditions and coming back with some amazing photos.

[shenstone]

"Here are some photos that I am quite pleased with."
Understatement of the year so far Tord, these are stunning, you should be very pleased.
Well done for enduring the conditions and coming back with some amazing photos.

Wot he said
regards
Andy

[Tordan58]

Thank you for the nice comments.

The photography session turned out more challenging than I expected. After 45 minutes off-road drive you get dropped by the hide and quickly get yourself installed well before dawn. Once installed, you cannot change any lens, make any sudden movements or make any noise. Just wait and believe. Most of the action took place shortly after dawn or shortly before dusk. In between, long hours without much happening. There were the four of us, which made it easier to pay attention and keep concentration during the ten hours-long sessions, however, quite often this split was not good enough; I missed the best shots because of not being continuously attentive at the crows, ravens and magpies behavior that would announce an Eagle on its way. I was blessed to have four different individuals, three young and one adult, visit the site over the course of five days. Never were they present at the same time, it was quite clear they avoided interaction and potential conflict.

The photos are taken with the E-M1 M2 and the 300 F/2.8 lens, at 25-50 meters distance.