Nature Photography, Travel, Poetry
Portrait of an Eagle
In search of majestic beauty
A flap of wing against the blue, a sweep of feathered grace gliding, sliding, flying, all motion and sacred spirit, the eagle soars beyond the realm of breath and bone, born of the morning, flapping into the evening’s soft embers. Eternal. Eternal. Bless me with your beauty.
They say that eagles are as ubiquitous as crows in Alaska. I would say that that statement is almost true. When we first arrived in Juneau last summer, we kept seeing these dark birds — bigger than crows, but without the distinctive white heads of the Bald Eagle — winging their way across the waters and soaring through the tree tops. We soon realized that we were seeing the juveniles, who remain a mottled brown until about five years of age. But we did not, immediately, spot any of the adults.
I kept my eyes peeled for an adult though — and we did finally see one atop a nest as we were descending the tram from Mount Douglas. But I did not have the right lens on the camera and took too long fumbling around trying to change lenses. I basically missed the whole thing. The lesson I learned from that experience was that a nice 24–200mm “travel lens” is a traveler’s best friend.
I had just recently purchased a Nikon Z7 mirrorless camera and I was on a bit of a quest to get a good eagle shot. Although a few of these majestic raptors grace the California skies, they are pretty rare here. But Alaska — surely I would get a great eagle shot there!
After Juneau, we set out for a week out on the water on the Alaskan Dream catamaran (and we’re heading out on the same boat for the summer solstice again this summer — I’m getting so excited already) and I kept looking and looking for that perfect eagle shot. I took so many photos, but they were always from too far away, or the eagle was silhouetted against the sky and was in shadows.
I had just about given up on that “perfect” eagle shot. And then, on our second -to-last day in Alaska, while we were in Sitka, we went to the Fortress of the Bear (I can’t even begin to tell you how much I loved this sanctuary for orphaned bears — you can read about it here if you like) and we saw eagles perched in the tree tops above the bear’s habitat.
Those lucky bears have an entire mountain right behind their home, with eagles soaring through the skies right overhead. It is such a natural setting for these rescued babies.
As we were leaving the sanctuary, my husband at the wheel of the car, we both spotted an eagle on a dead tree, just beside the road. “Stop!” I called out, my heart pounding. We pulled over and I crossed the road, trying to be as stealthy as possible. I crept a little closer and a little closer, hoping it wouldn’t fly away.
He (or she — I’m not sure) was obviously watching me.
I think he was a little curious about this human crawling through the brush and he definitely kept his eyes on me.
He noticed something else on the ground beneath him — a tasty snack, perhaps?
But then, I think he decided that I might be more interesting.
I crept around behind him to try to get a shot from a slightly different angle.
And then, it was over. He took to the wind and was gone.
I was satisfied that I had at least a few decent shots, although I would still love to get a good “eagle catching a salmon” photo one day. We’re headed back in a little more than a month though, so, you never know….
Cool facts about Bald Eagles
The oldest Bald Eagle on record lived to be at least thirty-eight years. Eagles often hunt cooperatively, with one eagle “herding” the prey towards another. They oftentimes take the “easy” route with hunting and just try to steal their meals away from osprey or other birds of prey. Immature Bald Eagles spend their first four years as nomads, sometimes roaming hundreds of miles in a day. They like to play and have been observed passing sticks to one another in the air. Although they were once endangered by pesticides and hunting, they have flourished under protective laws.
Erika Burkhalter is a yogi, neurophilosopher, cat-mom, photographer, and lover of travel and nature, spreading her love and amazement for Mother Earth’s glories, one photo, poem or story at a time. (MS Neuropsychology, MA Yoga Studies).
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