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W/B CR GG1's at Conowingo, MD on the Port Road Branch in 1978. I'm standing in front of our 1970 Plymouth Satellite Wagon. Photo taken by Steve Lewis.
We spent a beautiful Thursday morning up at Conowingo Dam watching the Bald Eagles do their thing - it was amazing!
Well to me an outtake is an image I struggle with putting on Flickr, is it good enough? too noisy? sharp enough? etc. Then eventually I say the heck with it and post it!
Ever since I got interested in bird photography three years ago it seems like everyone I talked to about Bald Eagles inevitably asked "Have you been to Conowingo Dam?" My answer has always been "not yet." That changed on 31 October 2018, and now I see why everyone asked that question. In late autumn and winter Conowingo Dam commonly plays host to a large congregation of Bald Eagles, sometimes more than 100. The day I was there (a weekday) there were more photographers than eagles, and I'm sure that is often the case (I cannot imagine how many go there to see the eagles on a weekend). And though it was supposedly a "slow day," it was still spectacular. I'd estimate there were between 25 - 40 eagles there that day.
Multiple spillway gates on the far side of the dam were opened during my visit, that kept several rock outcrops where eagles often perch inundated, and also lured most of the eagles very far away from where photographers have access. There were only 3-4 times when an eagle made a hunting pass on the near side of the dam, so most of my shots were more of a scenic nature than close-up action. The cascading water and spray from the spillway did provide a dramatic background for those distant shots. FYI, the dam is 94-ft tall and almost 4,700 feet long.
I did manage a pretty good result for one of the hunting passes; this series begins with the Bald Eagle heading right toward my position with its target identified. And it kept focused on the target the entire time right up to the catch.
Note: Photo - 5 in this series was EXPLORED on 19 Nov 2018
Sitting in wait for the next meal to swim by.
This juvenile eagle, affectionately known as Essfour, has been providing photographers plenty of opportunities to get those coveted action shots. And as we can see, she does not mind sitting still for he camera either.
Ever since I got interested in bird photography three years ago it seems like everyone I talked to about Bald Eagles inevitably asked "Have you been to Conowingo Dam?" My answer has always been "not yet." That changed on 31 October 2018, and now I see why everyone asked that question. In late autumn and winter Conowingo Dam commonly plays host to a large congregation of Bald Eagles, sometimes more than 100. The day I was there (a weekday) there were more photographers than eagles, and I'm sure that is often the case (I cannot imagine how many go there to see the eagles on a weekend). And though it was supposedly a "slow day," it was still spectacular. I'd estimate there were between 25 - 40 eagles there that day.
Multiple spillway gates on the far side of the dam were opened during my visit, that kept several rock outcrops where eagles often perch inundated, and also lured most of the eagles very far away from where photographers have access. There were only 3-4 times when an eagle made a hunting pass on the near side of the dam, so most of my shots were more of a scenic nature than close-up action. The cascading water and spray from the spillway did provide a dramatic background for those distant shots. FYI, the dam is 94-ft tall and almost 4,700 feet long.
Note: Photo - 5 in this series was EXPLORED on 19 Nov 2018
... and be the best lighting here for dawn captures, but lousy for capturing eagles in action ...
Conowingo Dam, Maryland
Immature bald eagle over Conowingo Dam in Maryland
Conowingo Dam is famous for its eagles, so I was excited to visit, even if it was overcast and I only had a couple hours before I had to leave to catch my flight.
I did a decent amount of post-processing to pull the shadows up on the bird and bring out the blue in the sky.