Bald Eagle vs GB Heron

WOW! Excellent capture Nate, especially for the challenging conditions you explained and all the more amazing to think this was handheld. The detail in both subjects is perfect to my eye, and real interesting to know f/8 was enough to allow this DOF.

Absolutely wonderful picture, you must have been thrilled with the result :^)

Nate, I really like this image. The action you captured is fantastic. I think if you cropped just a little off the LHS it would tighten the focus on the action between the two birds IMHO.

Thanks Harry and Ashley. Ashley F8 was only sufficient here because this is cropped about 50%.

Whichever way you view it, this is amazing action captured, Nate!

talk about a challenging shot, Nate. you pulled this off well. DOF worked out, comp is good, action is compelling even if the eagle is looking away from us. love that worn and bedraggled immature plumage on the eagle. Wonder if you could pull a little more detail out of the dark fish? really an interesting shot and a behavior I've not seen.

This must be awesome to see! Your photo is good enough to tell the story.... nice job! Looks like the puddle is going uphill...just a little ccw rotation?? Sharon

Excellent story telling inter-action between the species here Nate! I am looking forward to trying again this spring too. Really nice detail for 50% crop. I am wondering though, if the bird may have been semi-lost in the dark beach had you been on the other side.

Ken Archer

Thanks for your comments Kwan, Brian, Sharon and Ken.

Ken, you may be right sometimes with a young bird but the adults will stand out well, you can get all kinds of backgrounds shooting from the waterside, some will be good and some will be not so good.

Here's a couple of examples of the backgrounds you get shooting from a kayak in this area, I think they are pretty nice. http://www.naturephotographers.net/imagecritique/ic.cgi?a=vp&pr=151740&CGISESSID=72ae1868af769acaa3b91fcb2257144a&u=26944
http://www.naturephotographers.net/imagecritique/ic.cgi?a=vp&pr=151373&CGISESSID=72ae1868af769acaa3b91fcb2257144a&u=27092

Nice action image. Both birds are well represented here and pretty sharp at this aperture. I like the defense pose for the heron and the fish hanging out. Interesting information. Is it just the immature eagles that do this, or are the adults equally likely to choose the easy road. Who wins?

Thanks Angela, in this case the heron managed to keep and eat the fish. Most of the time the heron doesn't have the fish yet and the eagle will swoop in next to where the heron is fishing and grab the fish that the heron is about to catch while the heron will fly off squawking. Both young and adult birds will harrass the herons like this.

Hi Nate,
Amazing action shot with superb photo technique and control. Wow! Seriously impressive. Best regards, Andrei

This image tells a great story. Sounds like a challenge to get but fun to watch

Very neat behavioral shot. That's a pretty ragged looking youngster you got there.

Nice action shot. Regarding the kayaking, it is a great way to access wildlife on the sound. I've been paddling the sound for over 20 years with a variety of camera gear. It really helps to have a stable boat and you need to protect your gear while you are are out on the salt water. But once you learn the basics you can gain access to some incredible places here in the PNW.

Nate,
This is over the top cool. Great depth of field. Looks like the Bald Eagle is close enought o the GBH so that F/8 worked out just great. By the way, Who wound up with the fish??? Really like this Nate. I can really understand why you would want to spend more time trying to get this shot. Very unique capture.

Thanks everyone!
David, the heron finished the fish in this case. Oftentimes the eagle scares off the heron and gets the fish.

Nate - shot from behind or not, this is a compelling image. The texture and sharpness of the feathers is very good, and the wing position on both birds is near perfect in terms of timing, IMO. Even the presence of and positioning of the sculpin is outstanding.

I have to say I'm perplexed by the reflection of the heron and the subequent absence of reflection from the eagle, which is completely understandable but creates a tension I can't make my mind up about. Nothing within your control, so it's a pretty moot point! You know you've got a great image if you're stretching to find ways to possibly improve it, and still aren't sure!

I also wondered if you'd played with different crops/comps (I'm sure you have). I have wondered if I might like a little more space around the brids, at least on the sides, and also wondered what it would look like to offset the subjects as opposed to having them centered as you have here. I don't actually have a suggestion here as much as a thought that if this were mine, I'd probably take the original image, draw a slightly looser crop around the subjects, and move it around...even to placements I wouldn't automatically think of initially.

The bottom line is you have created an outstanding image here that I for one would be proud to have in my own files. Great shot!

Wow! Almost missed this one. Can you vote for yourself for an EP? The heron's catch really puts it over the top.

Very good image, Nate. I think you captured the moment very well. I like several aspects of ths image - the raised crown of the heron, the expression on its face, the wet tail feathers of the eagle, the evidence of the struggle in the ripples and the half-submerged rocks. You have explained the difficulties well enough for me to appreciate the challenges in capturing this image.

I feel you can tone down the brightness of the water and bump up its saturation to give this image more of a pop.

Really like the impending drama in this one Nate. Having the birds well separated and the fish so obvious makes a big positive difference IMO.