Eagles on the Mississippi, Lock & Dam 15
Jan 23, 2018 08:43:22 #
Jan 23, 2018 09:15:38 #
Jan 23, 2018 09:21:42 #
I have been there recently. The first picture shows a sampling of the number of eagles in the trees at the dam. With the warm weather recently they don’t seem to be feeding as often as when it is cold. Nice capture on the second photo.
Jan 23, 2018 09:57:27 #
Jan 23, 2018 09:58:03 #
My friend Sparky arranged the trip. We went to the Mississippi between Illinois and Iowa. He aimed for cold days and clear skies. And sure enough, there were hundreds of eagles there (around MLK day) fishing at the dams and locks.
There were two other factors to take into consideration for shooting which made it tough. Access and angle of the light. At one very good location where hundreds of eagles were flying (L&D 18) the engineers were drilling the channel and we couldn't get access. The other factor is sun angle. The Mississippi in its travels north to south also meanders east to west, sometimes so much that while the birds may have been best at a particular dam you could at certain times be shooting into the sun when you wouldn't expect to, certainly a challenge.
All in all, though, a nice spectacle to witness.
There were two other factors to take into consideration for shooting which made it tough. Access and angle of the light. At one very good location where hundreds of eagles were flying (L&D 18) the engineers were drilling the channel and we couldn't get access. The other factor is sun angle. The Mississippi in its travels north to south also meanders east to west, sometimes so much that while the birds may have been best at a particular dam you could at certain times be shooting into the sun when you wouldn't expect to, certainly a challenge.
All in all, though, a nice spectacle to witness.
Jan 23, 2018 10:10:30 #
Jan 23, 2018 11:12:38 #
Jan 23, 2018 11:28:09 #
Jan 23, 2018 12:23:24 #
Fotoartist wrote:
My friend Sparky arranged the trip. We went to the... (show quote)
I am lucky to live 15 minutes from there and you are correct about the lighting. It is the only place the Mississippi flows east-west so on the Iowa side you look south. The Illinois side has some access problems and the trees occlude the view of the lock and dam. The trees in the background are filled with eagles and those trees are on an island in the river. Government owns the island and access is restricted.
Jan 23, 2018 13:08:31 #
Fotoartist wrote:
Middle of last week.
Yep. Good captures. The local "Eagle shooters" are in fine form this year with a very cold January bring thousands of Eagles into the roosts along the Mississippi. As the locals say "The office is and has been open".
Jan 23, 2018 14:14:36 #
Jan 23, 2018 14:31:36 #
Jan 23, 2018 15:38:49 #
Fotoartist wrote:
Middle of last week.
Fantastic images!!!!!
Jan 23, 2018 15:56:07 #
Jan 23, 2018 21:53:40 #
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