AN EAGLE’S HOME AWAY FROM HOME

By Mark Wade

A Winter Home in Utah

During winter months, the state of Utah is home to one of the largest populations of bald eagles in the lower forty-eight states, with counts going as high as 1,200 birds. The eagles migrate to Utah to evade the colder temperatures of Canada and Alaska and are attracted to the fish, rabbits, and other wildlife. The Utah Department of Wildlife Resources has identified many locations around the state where eagles are most prominently viewed. Perhaps the best spot in southwestern Utah is an area called Rush Lake, just north of Cedar City.

Capturing Photos of Eagles

Unless you’re willing to sit in a blind for many hours with the hopes of an eagle coming to you, the effort to get close enough to an eagle to acquire a good photo can be quite challenging. Eagles are very skittish, and from my experience, they will quickly take flight if you get within 100 to 200 yards of their proximity. Once in flight, there is no telling how far they will fly before they land again. The best hope is that the eagle will choose to pass nearby your location as it departs for its next destination. Your next challenge will then be tracking the eagle in the sky as it quickly flies by while getting your camera to focus on the eagle and not the distant backdrop of clouds, mountains, or trees.

Earning Their White Feathers

Until recently, I was unaware that bald eagles do not have white head or tail feathers until they are five or six years old. In fact, until they mature, these eagles are a patchwork of white and brown feathers. The process of obtaining white feathers is actually part of an eagle’s maturation and marks a time when a bald eagle will begin to mate. As long as each partner survives in the wild, these eagles will mate for life, which can be a time frame of approximately twenty to thirty years.

Recommendations

Use a longer lens on your camera. Shoot from a tripod when eagles are perched. Eagles tend to settle down near the end of the day in a tree that is tall and mostly barren, thus enabling them to land and take off without their six-foot wingspans becoming obstructed by branches. Eagles may also use other high perches, such as very tall telephone or electrical poles. One other strategy is to create or purchase a blind where you can wait for the arrival of birds. Bring along some ways to stay warm, hydrated, and entertained as you wait.

My Experience

The photos in this article were captured recently at multiple locations in Utah. In each case, it was a process of spotting the birds on a perch from a distance and then, as stealthily as possible, working my way toward them with my camera in hand and intermittently shooting pictures. As I walked, I attempted to be ready to shoot rapidly if the eagle took flight. In the cold winter, I wear mittens that fold back to enable finger and thumb access to the dials on the camera, and this means that I’m generally dealing with cold, numb hands.

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About the Author

Mark Wade is active in hiking, writing, photography, and videography. He works as a tourism marketing consultant, for which he has won numerous awards. He is a weekly guest on the KSL Outdoors radio show. Mark is the former Director of Tourism for southwestern Utah and has served on the board of directors for various tourism associations.