Photo Gallery 4
The photographs in Photo Gallery 4 were taken on our last trip to the west coast of Alaska in search of Bald Eagles. As you can see, we found them! The first stop on our quest was Skagway. Here we met our guide and naturalist Sylvia Hines. We then boarded a small ferry for the 40 minute trip to Haines. While on board, Sylvia gave us background information on Haines and the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. Upon arriving in Haines and disembarking the ferry, we boarded a bus for the 20 mile trip to our put-in point on the Tsirku River. The best way to see the Preserve is to float through it on the Tsirku and Chilkat Rivers in rubber rafts.
As we pulled out onto the rocky flats of the Tsirku River where our rafts were beached, Sylvia spotted an Eagle perched in a tree across the river. Everyone scrambled out of the bus with their cameras at the ready. This guy (girl) was doing a great job posing for us. For about five minutes, all you could hear was ooooohhhh's and aaaaaahhh's and the sound of shutters clicking! The day was overcast and I was hand-holding a 400mm lens to get these shots. Even with image stabilization turned on, I was pushing my limits and the limits of my equipment. In a "perfect world" I would have used a tripod and gimble mount to photograph birds, but a tripod is not always practical or safe on a float trip! He finally got tried of us and flew off down river to perch in a Spruce tree. We all loaded up on the rafts in search of more Eagles.
The first photograph above shows the put-in point on the Tsirku River, raft #2 just after put-in, with our bus and support vehicles in the background. And yes, it was cold! Air temperature was about 45 degrees F with an 8-10 mph wind. Water temperature was a crisp 39 degrees! About one half mile into the trip we came upon this Eagle just hanging out on a log in the middle of the river. It was the perfect photo opportunity! Our last one for awhile. We did see numerous nests, but no Eagles. The scenery was awsome as we floated down the Tsirku River heading for the Chilkat. The Tsirku River isn't very deep and our raft scraped along the bottom from time to time. Just as we got to the Chilkat river we spotted two Eagles perched high in some trees along the bank. Our guide told us they were probibly mates since Eagles mate for life. We slowed down so we could get some pictures but the ride was pretty bouncy. And hand holding long glass is hard enough when you're not bouncing and turning around! Those were the last two Eagles we saw. Wish there would have been more but you have to take what you can get. After we got the rafts out of the water the guides had hot coffee, tea and chocolate waiting for us plus home made chocolate chip cookies! The ride back to Haines in the bus was relaxing and warm! We got to the ferry dock about twenty minutes before the ferry arrived to take us back to Skagway. I just happened to glance at my watch and it was 9:30pm and the sun was still high in the sky! Let's hear it for Alaska in the Summer! We arrived back in Skagway with just enough time for a brew at the Skagway Brewing Company before heading back to our ship for the trip to Ketchikan.
What a Surprise! |
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As we were heading back to the ship, we stopped for a bite to eat at a really neat waterfront fish and chips place. While enjoying the meal, I spotted what I thought was an Eagle soaring over the inlet! Since our mission was exploring Ketchikan, I didn't have my 400mm mounted so was unable to get any good Eagle pictures. But, as it turned out, the day was not over yet!
Once back on the ship we decided to just kick back on our balcony a wait for departure time. I had just sat down when I saw an Eagle majestically glide over the city and perch on a rooftop! I retrieved my camera and quickly mounted my 100-400mm lens, yelled at Stacy and started taking photographs.
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It was amazing! Eagles were everywhere! The more we looked around the more we saw. They were over the town, over the inlet, everywhere. People were making their way back to the ship and didn't even notice them flying overhead!
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Check out the guy in the window in the first photograph above! It doesn't even phase him to have Eagles flying by his window. I don't think that would be common place to me even if I lived there for ten years!
Let the Fishing Begin!
First we spotted one Eagle swooping low across the inlet. Then another and another! It was like someone had just rung the dinner bell. There were Eagles everywhere over the inlet! We just stood there for acouple of minutes watching the show, but then shutters stared to click.
It is extremely hard to photograph Eagles or any bird in flight. I took over one hundred shots and after carefull evaluation, only kept 25 of them, and it probibly should have been less.
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The were swooping and diving at the water. Ocassionally one would get something in it's tallons. It was amazing to watch!
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More to Come!
We have more Eagle photographs to be added to Photo Gallery 4. Please come by and visit us soon. I promise you won't be disappointed!
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