Today was not the best day to be out and about. Heavy overcast. Just plain flat. But I needed to get out and walk around a bit. Good day to get back to basics. I've been relying on high shutter speeds (over 1/1200th sec) to help with focus. Call it a crutch. And to really handicap myself, I used a polarizer. The polarizer just arrived and I was looking to use it, no matter what.
I wanted to check out the Eagles in Richfield Park. I've stopped by their nest a few times this year, but always appeared no one was home. I heard from a friend that the nest was still being used. So the nest was a destination today.
Over the last three years that I've been observing the nest and Eagle life, I've come to the conclusion that the more time that is spent at the nest, the better the chance to see something more than a bird in the trees. You have to work for it. Except for today. I spent about 15 minutes at the nest. One of my favorite sights is to see one of the Eagles fly directly overhead bringing home some food. It's not easy, because it is silence coming to you from behind. Sometimes I can see the reflection in the pond water, but not today.
The Eagle is in flight above my head in view for only 3 to 5 seconds. Hate to say it, but if I was using the 200-500 lens, I probably miss it. With the 70-300 lens, much lighter to swing around. The difference is 1.5 pounds to 5.25 pounds.
A year ago, I was able to catch food being delivered, here. It almost looks like as spring brings out the greens and life, it's also a good gage on the new life of the Eaglets. Didn't see this until I started looking at the photos on a monitor. Eaglet! Need a serious crop to get the little one. Big eyes and a lot of fuzz.
Tomorrow is forecasted to be a much better day, light-wise. Sunny. Maybe. I read where the Eaglets spend most of their day eating, so the food train has to keep rolling. Maybe get another shot.
No comments:
Post a Comment