Well I guess size does matter, at least to the American Bald Eagle
Yesterday was a lot like every other day in the past few weeks, crazy in it’s own special way. It seems as if I have been racing from one place to the other and arriving to my destination just in the nick of time, no matter my departure time. I could attempt to blame traffic, road conditions, weather, construction and the like but the true problem has been that damn camera in the back seat!
Not knowing exactly what time I would be leaving work yesterday, I informed the family of my Hosparus patient that I would be there as close to 4:30 PM as I could for a visit. Knowing that I was taking an unfamiliar rout during rush hour, my drive time to their home was truly a guess-timate so I decided to authorize myself to drive fast. Passing a few lollygaggers along the way, I was making great time and was ahead of schedule along Highway 135 through Washington County. And then from a quarter mile away, I saw it!
Sitting in a long ago deceased tree just off the highway and right next to Lake Salinda was a male Bald eagle preening itself! A split second later I was quickly reducing my speed from its illegal level, steering with my knee and reaching into the back seat to grab my camera bag…my 57-year-old body was much more contorted than it was designed for. I whipped up under it, turned down the radio, rolled down the window and started taking shots. He stopped for just a second, looked deep into my lens and then went about his business, to my amazement, as I was remarkably close. Shooting several shots through my 100-400mm zoom I knew I had some good shots but I also had my 600mm in the back seat so maybe, just maybe I could get some great shots!
Still well under two minutes from my arrival time I found myself pretty much wedged between my seats attempting to reach behind my head and unzip my big boy lens bag. Throwing lens hoods, caps and covers all over the place, I now frantically mounted the lens to my camera body and stuck it out the window of my car. He continued to preen under his wings in the heavy afternoon winds. Suddenly he looked into my lens and was noticeably shaken by the change in glass size. Immediately he started shuffling his feet to prepare for launch. Something inside of his little birdbrain said small lens, or eye as it must look from his vantage point, non-threatening…big eye…very threatening! He leapt into the wind without flapping his wings, twisted sideways and was blown out of sight.
I walked into my patient’s home at 4:26 a blessed man.
Well I guess size does matter, at least to the American Bald Eagle
Yesterday was a lot like every other day in the past few weeks, crazy in it’s own special way. It seems as if I have been racing from one place to the other and arriving to my destination just in the nick of time, no matter my departure time. I could attempt to blame traffic, road conditions, weather, construction and the like but the true problem has been that damn camera in the back seat!
Not knowing exactly what time I would be leaving work yesterday, I informed the family of my Hosparus patient that I would be there as close to 4:30 PM as I could for a visit. Knowing that I was taking an unfamiliar rout during rush hour, my drive time to their home was truly a guess-timate so I decided to authorize myself to drive fast. Passing a few lollygaggers along the way, I was making great time and was ahead of schedule along Highway 135 through Washington County. And then from a quarter mile away, I saw it!
Sitting in a long ago deceased tree just off the highway and right next to Lake Salinda was a male Bald eagle preening itself! A split second later I was quickly reducing my speed from its illegal level, steering with my knee and reaching into the back seat to grab my camera bag…my 57-year-old body was much more contorted than it was designed for. I whipped up under it, turned down the radio, rolled down the window and started taking shots. He stopped for just a second, looked deep into my lens and then went about his business, to my amazement, as I was remarkably close. Shooting several shots through my 100-400mm zoom I knew I had some good shots but I also had my 600mm in the back seat so maybe, just maybe I could get some great shots!
Still well under two minutes from my arrival time I found myself pretty much wedged between my seats attempting to reach behind my head and unzip my big boy lens bag. Throwing lens hoods, caps and covers all over the place, I now frantically mounted the lens to my camera body and stuck it out the window of my car. He continued to preen under his wings in the heavy afternoon winds. Suddenly he looked into my lens and was noticeably shaken by the change in glass size. Immediately he started shuffling his feet to prepare for launch. Something inside of his little birdbrain said small lens, or eye as it must look from his vantage point, non-threatening…big eye…very threatening! He leapt into the wind without flapping his wings, twisted sideways and was blown out of sight.
I walked into my patient’s home at 4:26 a blessed man.