Birding in Maine» bald eagles

The Majestic Bald Eagle

John Briggs — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 19:13:03 +0000

Being in the right place at the right time makes a world of difference when bird watching.

Take this morning for example. Doing my morning ritual of filling the bird feeders, I saw a third year Bald Eagle soaring over the cove off our back yard. It was making passes within 50 yards of where I stood, so I headed back into the house to get my camera.

Returning to my vantage point, the Eagle was nowhere to be found. While thinking about making a homemade holster for my camera rig so it’s always handy and nearly ready to give up on the Eagle, I saw movement to my right. Coming from the narrows on the Winnegance Bridge side of the cove were a pair of adult Bald Eagles.

At first, the pair kept their distance, doing an in-flight courtship ritual. Diving and swirling around each other at a very high altitude, I watched in awe and silently hoped that they would get closer. Suddenly, the pair seemed to tumble earthward. I thought they had a collision! Just before crashing into the spruce trees on the other side of the cove, the pair split off. One came directly toward me, the other heading toward Doubling Point Lighthouse with American Crows on its heals.

It is very difficult to photograph a Bald Eagle screaming directly toward you. The focus is forever changing, even with AI focus tracking turned on. Suddenly the Eagle turned and I began firing away. In no time flat it was gone. I noticed my heart thumping in my chest. WOW!

As I went through the photos, The head on shots were awful. Should I have tried to change my angle? In doing this I risk spooking the bird. Maybe I better practice photographing birds coming head on. Most of my problem was that the cameras settings were set for a previous shoot that I did and in all the excitement, I didn’t make any changes. I did gather myself together enough to make adjustments when the Eagle turned.

I did a little research on the internet to found out what was going on with the pair. It seems that indeed they were falling toward earth on purpose:

Once attracted to a potential partner, the Bald Eagle may begin one of several elaborate courtship rituals called “cartwheeling.” In this magnificent display, the Eagles soar to dizzying heights, lock talons, and begin a breathtakingly death-defying plunge to the earth. Just moments before striking the ground, the eagles disengage and once again soar to the heavens. If the timing is not perfect, certain death awaits this pair of speeding bullets.

What a fantastic morning! Three Bald Eagles and a couple of decent photos to accompany the memories. If only that 600mm lens was a little more affordable, I might have photos of this ritual.

Camera: Canon 40D
Lens: Canon 100-400mm IS L
Handheld with BushHawk

All thumbnail photos are clickable to bring up a larger view. Enjoy!

Bald Eagle in Flight | Bath, Maine

Happy birding!

Atkins Bay Bald Eagles

John Briggs — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 21:30:35 +0000

With another snow storm coming Sunday, Sharon and I decided to drive to Atkins Bay this morning for some bird watching. With temperatures a little warmer than the last few mornings (-11° F. at 6:45 a.m. here at home) we arrived at Fort Popham at 7:15 a.m. and immediately spotted two adult Bald Eagles working over a fish carcass.

I parked the car in the shade with the sun behind us and got out of the car preparing to get some photos of the pair. I got into position and pulled the camera up to begin shooting, but I could not gain focus. I fiddled with the focus/shutter button on my BushHawk figuring the cold weather was causing it to fail. In the mean time, one of the Eagles departed after being harassed by several crows. (I later checked the soundings for Popham Beach for the time we were there and the temp was -2° F.)

Beginning to lose my patience, I finally got the camera to focus and photographed the remaining Eagle. It too was harassed by crows and took off and landed several times before finally giving up and flying off toward the Sequin Island lighthouse.

While at Fort Popham, we saw a flock of 200+ Cedar Waxwings with 25 Bohemian Waxwings and 11 American Robins mixed in. Just off the pier, 16 Long-tailed Ducks and 6 Buffleheads were feeding. A lone Harbor Seal was making it’s way toward the mouth of the Kennebec.

Click thumbnails for larger view

When we returned home, I watched the feeders after filling them. A Black-capped Chickadee seemed to have a black-oil sunflower seed stuck on top of its beak. (See photo below) Four Red-breasted Nuthatches are now frequenting the feeders, along with 12 plus American Tree Sparrows. And for the first time since moving here nearly one year ago, we had four European Starlings visit the feeders. A rap on the window sent them across to the other side of the bay.

Click thumbnails for larger view

Happy birding!

Egrets and Flickers

John Briggs — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 23:24:47 +0000

A beautiful weekend ends this Sunday evening with a raw east wind and a fog bank backing in from the Atlantic. But before the gloom came some spectacular bird watching this morning at Small Point, Maine.

Sharon and I got into our car at a bright and early 6 a.m. this morning, only to clamber out again to get looks at three 2nd year Bald Eagles who landed on the mud flats behind our house. We watched as one would take flight and land near another, which would lead to a short battle over who would get the spot of real estate. This went on for fifteen minutes or so, each Eagle taking its turn harassing the other. As the Eagles headed toward Winnegance Lake, we drove south down the peninsula to Small Point.

A very small pond on the road to Small Point Beach held a trio of Snowy Egrets. Using our car as a blind, we watched the Egrets eat small fish, chase and fight each other and display, all from not more than 20 feet away. Several pair of Grackle were gathering nesting material, Red-Winged Blackbirds sang from the reeds and Eastern Phoebes were singing from the hedges.

I later walked a dirt lane between some cottages and found many Northern Flickers, who were probing the ground for tasty ants. Osprey flew overhead and a single adult Bald Eagle circled the cove.

A tally of the species we observed are below.

Location:     Small Point, Maine
Observation date:     4/20/08
Notes:     Clear skies, temp upper 30′s, light wind. Observers: John and Sharon Briggs
Number of species:     30

American Black Duck     6
Ring-necked Duck     3
Bufflehead     6
Red-breasted Merganser     1
Double-crested Cormorant     2
Great Blue Heron     1
Snowy Egret     3
Turkey Vulture     1
Osprey     2
Bald Eagle     1
Mourning Dove     4
Northern Flicker     8
Pileated Woodpecker     3
Eastern Phoebe     4
Blue Jay     2
Tree Swallow     12
Barn Swallow     1
Black-capped Chickadee     5
Red-breasted Nuthatch     1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet     12
American Robin     3
European Starling     4
American Tree Sparrow     2
Savannah Sparrow     3
Song Sparrow     4
Northern Cardinal     1
Red-winged Blackbird     18
Common Grackle     15
Brown-headed Cowbird     1
American Goldfinch     8

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2

Enjoy the bird photographs we have posted below. Click a thumbnail image for a larger size.

Happy birding!

Photo of the Day: American Robin