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
Thanks, Jane. This eagle started on the shore near our place, then flew across the lake. I was fortunate to see him up in the tree. I haven’t seen the snow goose you described. At least, I imagine it was a snow goose. We don’t usually get them in this area. Yes, enjoy the lake. There is always something to see.
What kind of lens and camera did you use to capture your eagle? I am not sure about that bird being a snow goose. I looked up some pictures of them on line, and the bird we saw had a more swan-like neck. It really looked like a goose-sized swan. It was strange to see it in a large flock of geese. I read that snow geese usually travel in large flocks of their own kind and it looks like they are only in Michigan when migrating. I will see if I can have my neighbor email me her photo.
I have a Canon 40d body and used the Canon 70-200 mm f/4 lens with a 1.4x extender, so I get the equivalent of a 280 mm lens. I was only about 20 feet off shore shooting up at about a 45 degree angle, so I really wasn’t that far away from him. Interesting, the white goose-like bird. I’d love to see a photo of it, even with low resolution. I don’t need to post here, but would like to see it.
Thanks for the info. I will see if I can get that photo of the “mystery bird.”
Love your eagle shots, Mark. Very nice. We followed an eagle all over the south bay the day after Labor Day. Might have been the same one. I finally spotted him in a tree on the right side of that cove with the stream (where the heron hangs out). They seem to favor the tall pine trees. It was rather choppy that day and getting decent pictures from my rocking and rolling kayak was a challenge. We also saw a large flock of geese that had one pure white bird included down by our house. My neighbor got some photos, but the resolution was not that great. It really looked like a small swan, very much the same size as the Canada geese. Have you seen that bird around the lake? Hope we get a chance to do a little more paddling this fall.
Jane