Catfish Meal
March 17th, 2022
I came up on a refuge platform and spotted that one of the resident bald eagles was having a meal. Sorry I missed the catch sequence but happy I was there to see the eagle eating. I found out later the catch was a catfish. The sight of the meat of the fish in the afternoon light was vibrant and interesting.
The light was partly cloudy. We would alternate between beautiful light and dim light as the large clouds progressed across the sky and sometimes blocked the sun. The wind was brisk but comfortable.
I wore my winter thick sweater combined with a winter rain coat along with light gloves. Spring is still a bit cool on this day. I kept putting on and taking off my coat depending upon whether the clouds were blocking the sun.
I quickly setup my tripod and camera. This involves extending my tripod legs and detaching my carry strap so I can mount the camera on the tripod. I have learned to do this quickly so I would not miss the moment when the eagle took off. I added the 1.4 extender to give me more reach.
Just as I got comfortable the eagle launched and I was ready. I often have to wait for up to an hour for an eagle to fly. Sometimes I miss the exact launch because I am scanning the area around me for other birds. Today was different. I was ready and I caught the bird launching in the air.
The bald eagle quickly transferred the remains of the catch fish from beak to claws. I was happy to see that I caught those moments in my camera. Then the bird flew to a new nest on the other side of water. A satisfying start to the afternoon shoot.
