Its been a couple weeks since we have been up to the lake and we wanted to get out in the kayaks.  Saturday was threatening rain,  Sunday was a bit windy, but no rain in the forecast, so out we went,  There were some waves, so I kept my camera in the bag until we got to smoother water.  That was a lesson in kayak photography.  If you don’t have the camera out, turned on, the lens cap off, and ready to shoot, you will miss something.  We had only just gotten around the first bed or reeds when a bald eagle took off from one of the trees on shore and flew directly in front of us.  It was so majestic, so beautiful.  And I was fumbling trying to get the camera out of the bag without dropping it in the lake.  Needless to say, no photos of the soaring eagle.

So we continued on our way.  I finally saw a turtle.  This little guy was only about 5 inches long and didn’t seem too bothered by our presence.

A little further along the shore I saw this goose.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen a goose walking in the water like this.  They are usually swimming.

There was a flock of birds that were flying in formation for us, diving left and right as if one.  Really quite a nice show,

Down in the inlet cove on the far shore was a heron looking for breakfast.  I kept my distance, but it didn’t seem too bothered by our presence, either.

Then, along the far side of the lake, up in a tree, was the eagle.  It just sat there, paying no attention to those two kayaks in the lake.  It posed for several portraits while I paddled the kayak back and forth in front of his tree.  I was about 20-30 feet off shore and shooting up at about a 45 degree angle.  These are some cropped images to show the detail of his beauty.

You can click on any of these images and get a larger view.

It was a real treat to see the eagle, let alone get these photos.  So, get out there on the lake and see what Mother Nature has to offer.

Mark