If you look closely, you can see an immature Bald Eagle perched in the tree (top left). I didn’t even know it was there until I looked at the image on the computer!
Last Sunday morning was near perfection...it was the kind of weather I was hoping for on my canoe trip in Algonquin earlier this month. There wasn't a breath of movement in the trees, everything was still & calm. Watching the mist burn off the river was a pure & true moment of serenity.
So to completely contradict what I was saying earlier about these birds seeming to spook easily - this bird was the exception to the rule. He/she let me hang around pointing a great big, non blinking eye (my lens) in its direction longer than I deserved. What a rush & highlight for the trip up north!
So this young bird completely surprised me by not showing any concern that I was directly below it. I originally had my sights set on a Mature Bald Eagle further up shore when I caught movement right above me - I had missed seeing him/her altogether!
So blood pumping I took a firm stance & extended my lens to its maximum focal length of 300mm & set my Av to f8.0. And I fired away – I must of came away with 100+ shots easily over the next 10 mins.
Check out the image that nature_photonutt took of me while I was photographing this eagle -
www.flickr.com/photos/nature_photonutt_szq/4044203316/
The family & I went up north to visit my in-laws this past weekend in Iron Bridge. During our visit I met a fellow Flickr addict, Sue, or better known as nature_photonutt. We had some great photo/camping conversations over coffee & tea.
Over the weekend I had a couple of very brief opportunities to photograph Bald Eagles feeding on salmon on the Mississagi River. My canoe was left up there from a previous visit & I took advantage of it. Working against the wind, rain & heavy current made it a real challenge to sneak up on these wary birds of prey - they seem to spook really easy from the water, especially the Mature Bald Eagles.
Lower High Falls.
Log Book:
Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2009
Final day.
Woke up to a torrential downpour that lasted until shortly after 10 am. I stayed hunkered down in my tent nice & warm & more importantly, dry. When the rain finally stopped I began to pack up a soggy camp hoping to get on the trail before it started to rain again. Lucky for me it did not and I was on the water about an hour later. I was keen to get moving because I had 5 portages all under 450 m to complete as well as some distance to cover in the canoe before I was to be picked up between 6 & 7 pm.
The light was very, very dull this day with little to no contrast; it was a bit frustrating trying to capture the scene I was looking at knowing full well that the final images were to be mediocre at best. The wind was also causing havoc – not for me in the canoe – I had it at my back the entire way out. Trying to stop the motion in the blowing trees was the challenge - even with high ISO’s & shutter speeds, the trees still had a lot of movement to them.
When I had made it through the last portage I was anxious to keep moving on because I could see I was in for more rain & maybe even some thunder showers. I made it to my take out at Pine Grove Point Lodge (the location to pick up permits for Park use) on Benoir Lake at the at approx. 6pm for my pick up. It was here that I made my last cup of camp coffee under the veranda of the shop to help get rid of the dampness & chills – mmm good!
This section of the Park is simply stunning! The Canadian Shield is rugged & very beautiful with some of the most amazing waterfalls, swifts, rapids & landscape scenery to take in. Do I recommend this trip – absolutely!
