Accipiters are nervous predators, constantly shifting between leafy lookouts every few minutes. Falcons always seem to be on some sort of mission, and even buteos on the hunt seem to grow impatient surveying one field and will soon flap off to the next. Bald Eagles are interminable loafers, and my new friend and I had been waiting upwards to two hours. There had been a bit of preening, and the eagle had even defecated once as we anticipated its hunger for one of the trout both we and it knew were in these waters. Nothing. No action. Not even a stretch of one of those beautiful, massive wings.
Someone recently asked about my favorite bird species to photograph. Without much hesitation I admitted the entire raptor family was probably atop my list. There’s something about the sight of a Bald Eagle, though, which trumps other raptors, even though we know they eat carrion and aren’t traditional predators. Maybe it’s the huge yet graceful flight silhouette. Maybe it’s the stark contrast between the dark body and the white head and tail. But it’s certainly not that they’re always up to something interesting.
Bald Eagle photography takes an inordinate amount of time because Bald Eagles spend an inordinate amount of time doing nothing. Sure enough, on this particular morning last month, this particular eagle spent two hours loafing, then made a couple desultory passes over the lake before leaving for parts unknown, actual fishing unattempted. Still, I was happy to have gotten a full wingspread, in perfect light, when it left its perch.
The previous week I had seen this eagle perched as I passed by on my way to a meeting. Without much time, I had stopped on a whim and captured it taking a fish. It could be years before my camera sees that again. I asked my new friend if he felt he was wasting his life waiting for the eagle to do something. He looked at me as if I’d lost my mind.
He lives near the lake where the eagle hangs out, and he’s not a birder per se. He may think songbirds are too flighty and unpredictable to photograph, or maybe he just hasn’t discovered them yet. Large, majestic birds, especially iconic ones at the top of the food chain, are hard to ignore. We love them, and the camera loves them. Having the Bald Eagle as our national bird, even if Benjamin Franklin originally wanted the Wild Turkey, is a good look for the country.
I probably won’t go by the lake again for a while. Spring is here, and all the birds are acting amorous. Right now there’s a lot to see and photograph out there. But, if a Bald Eagle crosses my path, you know I’ll spend some time with it. It sure beats watching paint or car racing.