Blue Heron + Bald Eagle

Gallery: AvianPosted June 28, 2011459 views15 comments

Here's an image from last week out at Hood Canal. There are a lot of eagles in the area now (about 50) and there was a lot of interaction between the herons and eagles when I was out there last week. In this shot the adult eagle has swooped down and caught a sculpin that was right near the heron. The heron hissed at the eagle and then stepped forward to get out of the way while the eagle exited. I've attached 2 different crop versions (the large includes more reflection) let me know which you prefer. The larger version is about 70% of FF, while the smaller is about 50%.

7D 500F4 1/1250 F8, manual exposure, iso 500, handheld, AI Servo

Comments

15 comments

Comment posted by Angela McCain on June 28, 2011 at 8:59 PM

Love the action here. Great detail in the eagle and a good look at the eye even though he was exiting. The full wing spread of the heron is nice and you can see the anger in his eye. I think I like the crop in the larger version.

Registered on April 19, 2009, 367 Posts, 3589 Comments

Comment posted by Sharon Hallowell on June 28, 2011 at 9:12 PM

Nice action with the wing spread and water flying. I do wish for some more room for the eagle to fly into on both crops, but you can only capture so much. Detail on both birds is very nice. Of the 2, I like the crop in the larger version. Sharon

Registered on November 1, 2003, 392 Posts, 4810 Comments

Comment posted by Bob Karcz on June 28, 2011 at 9:16 PM

Nate-Very sharp for handheld and action. Great capture- like the interaction!

Registered on November 8, 2009, 25 Posts, 43 Comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on June 28, 2011 at 9:42 PM

I prefer the larger image with more canvas... pretty impressive to get all this action in focus and in the same DOF. The head on the Heron looks a little soft but overall very nice...

Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Hahn on June 29, 2011 at 12:18 AM

Nate,

Great action photo. I prefer the larger picture.

Registered on August 16, 2007, 14 Posts, 151 Comments

Comment posted by Ashley Vincent on June 29, 2011 at 12:44 AM

Absolutely wonderful action shot Nate, if this were mine I'd likely have captioned it "Battle of the Giants" or something along those lines :^)

Although the Bald Eagle does appear a tad shaper I'm super impressed with the amount of detail you managed to acquire in both subjects.The visual impact of the whole image is very striking indeed. My preference is also for the larger version though I'd be thrilled to have the smaller one in my collection too ;^) Very much looking forward to seeing more :^)

Registered on March 1, 2011, 154 Posts, 2083 Comments

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on June 29, 2011 at 8:08 AM

I like combined action, great interest factoring in here Nate. Very good handheld technique to get it this nicely.
I prefer the larger version, seems to work better since the eagle's a bit tight RT in this one.
The extra space FG works to make it seem less crowded overall.
Well done!

Registered on July 24, 2008, 1201 Posts, 10758 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on June 29, 2011 at 11:39 AM

Nate, two things make this image for me - the pose of the heron in reaction to the eagle and the water drops set against that background grading from light to dark blue. A bit more light/detail under the eagle's right wing would have been nice IMO.

Registered on March 30, 2007, 437 Posts, 10915 Comments

Comment posted by May Haga on June 29, 2011 at 5:47 PM

Wonderful capture Nate. Love the interaction between the heron and the eagle. The water droplets put it over the top.
May

Registered on February 22, 2007, 714 Posts, 8470 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on June 29, 2011 at 10:21 PM

Great action, Nate. Looks like you found some sun for this one. I like the way it makes the water drops stand out.

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments

Comment posted by Ray Whitt on June 30, 2011 at 1:58 AM

Wonderful action shot, not something you see everyday. Both birds are set off really well against the blue, incredible shot.

Ray

Registered on May 27, 2011, 92 Posts, 2619 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Archer on June 30, 2011 at 4:38 AM

You already know what I think

Ken Archer

Registered on October 28, 2004, 222 Posts, 6683 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on June 30, 2011 at 2:02 PM

Really nice action shot Nate, I like the water splashing and that both birds have their wings open, I also like the larger version better,
nice timing to get this, way to go.

Registered on September 17, 2009, 302 Posts, 5535 Comments

Comment posted by Walt Sterneman on June 30, 2011 at 7:10 PM

Great action shot and perfect exposure Nate. I also prefer the larger version's crop.

Registered on March 24, 2010, 73 Posts, 1268 Comments

Comment posted by David Williams on July 1, 2011 at 7:39 PM

Great action shot and story, Nate. I, too, prefer the larger version crop......I think the added space below with the reflections add to the photo. Great to get the detail in both birds with the depth involved.

Registered on March 8, 2005, 315 Posts, 2291 Comments