Photographing America’s Bird

Photographing America’s Bird

By Troy Hoepker

I still remember exactly where I was when I spotted the first eagle I had ever witnessed in my part of the world. It was a bitter cold January morning and I was calling for a coyote years ago near the Union and Adair county line in Southwest Iowa. Soon after I began my calling of dying rabbit noises, there it was, bigger than life and majestically soaring over top of me backlit by a beautiful azure sky. A bald eagle! I sat there almost dumbfounded at what I was seeing, wanting more and left wondering where it had come from as it disappeared from view.

Up until that time, eagles weren’t populated in Southern Iowa or in most parts of Iowa for that matter. They were something you had to travel to other states to get a look at. Nowadays however, eagles are a relatively common sight to many in all parts of the state during the winter months. Once lakes, rivers and streams begin to freeze up to the north of us, eagles will begin traveling southward looking for open water to fish. Usually by December we’ll begin seeing them show up in good numbers and replacing our summertime resident turkey vultures that migrate south to a warmer climate. Since that first sighting, I’ve been blessed to watch a lot of eagle activity and a camera is usually never far away when I’m out hunting. You never know when a great photo opportunity will present itself and what better subject is there than a bald eagle?

Eagles obviously don’t hide themselves very well. Those telltale white heads and tails, combined with their vast size make them easy to spot even from a distance, whether perched in a tree over a river or soaring high in the sky with a seven-foot wingspan, but we still need to be in the right places to track them down. The number one tip is to find water to find eagles. Drive along any major river system or head to the nearest large public lake in the winter months and you’ll likely come across America’s national symbol somewhere along the way. Lots of people have become attracted to bird watching over some of our public waters because eagles have been exposed to human activity in these places and won’t spook away as easily allowing for some great photogenic opportunities.

For years, from Dubuque all the way to Keokuk, the Mississippi River has been one of the best places to go. Now almost any river corridor in Iowa has places that hold eagles. Along these rivers, when the winter days are at their coldest and frozen ice occupies much of the water’s surface, look for open areas of water and eagles will congregate there. Getting the chance to see and photograph eagles fishing is exciting. Capturing an eagle as it launches its talons into the water after a fish makes for a great photo if you’re fast enough to capture it.

The next best way to get close for viewing or photography is locating a deer carcass. Eagles are also a scavenging bird and have become quite found of the carrion our deer population provides. Finding a carcass that has become a popular feeding site is a great way to get photo opportunities. Even when eagles are spooked off of a carcass, they’ll often times not go far from it waiting for the opportunity to land again and feed, although every effort should be made not to spook them away from their meal. Finding a carcass is a good way to photograph multiple birds as well. I’ve witnessed as many as ten or more eagles all on or nearby a carcass in the past. Along roads I’ll use my vehicle as a blind easing my truck into position from a distance to begin with. They are usually accustomed to passing traffic and will sometimes allow you to just come to a slow stop without flying off. Then I’ll gently ease closer with the vehicle as needed. This way I can get the shots I want without the birds flying off and I don’t disturb them as well. Opening a car door and stepping out on foot to get closer will get them jumpy sometimes so I like to remain in the vehicle when possible. A window mount for the camera is a great accessory to keep the camera still. Sometimes you have to be quick though so I’ll try and brace the camera on a seat or something just to get a few shots before the bird leaves. If the subject seems content to stay put, then I’ll take the time to put on the window mount and use it. I’ve had birds stay put right in a tree along the road ditch as long as I don’t exit the vehicle and they’ve gave me some great shots.

As an avid coyote hunter I’m always out calling in critters and this is where I usually get a majority of my photos of eagles from each year. Some may have never given thought to it before, but eagles are suckers for a distress call. I have called dozens of eagles into my set ups although never really on purpose. Usually they just buzz the tower with a passing fly by rarely returning. Their eyesight is absolutely incredible and they either pick me out sitting there or don’t see anything actually in distress while they pass over and keep on flying. Occasionally however, I’ll be treated to one of them landing in a nearby tree giving me the chance to snap a few photos. You’ll have to be at the ready with the camera in most cases because they usually don’t stick around for long.

Every great once and while I’m treated to a truly spectacular show. If you’ve ever watched an eagle drop like a bowling ball out of the sky straight down onto prey then it’ll give you a bit of a nervous feeling once an eagle comes over top of you at thirty feet in the air with that giant wingspan. They won’t dive bomb you like an owl will, but seeing that definitely gets the blood pumping. I’ve had other times where I’ve called in multiple eagles and watched as they chased each other throughout the sky. Watching some of those mid-air acrobatic maneuvers they perform is astounding. There are even the occasions when I get to witness eagles interact with other animals.

A few years ago I was in the middle of watching a coyote come to me across a ridge of pasture some 400 yards away. The hunt was playing out perfectly, I had watched the coyote work his way to me from a quarter of a mile away and he had just climbed a large hill to the same high ridge where I sat in wait. On the walk into that pasture before I had began my hunt I had noticed an immature eagle floating across the field but I hadn’t thought much of it at the time. As soon as that coyote reached the ridge, down came the same eagle out of nowhere bombing that coyote repeatedly. The vulnerable coyote would leap for safety, as each time the eagle would make its assault within feet of him. Truly an awesome sight! So if you enjoy calling coyotes or crows and use mouth calls or an electronic caller, have the camera at the ready. You never know when an eagle will make its appearance.

Now let’s talk a little bit about cameras and camera settings. Eagle photography requires the photographer to be very versatile. One minute you may be trying to capture the image of a perched bird several hundred yards away and the next you’ll be trying to time the shot of a bird in flight. Either way, you’ll want a good amount of zoom capability with your camera. If you can’t zoom in very far don’t expect to get your next shot into National Geographic Magazine. It’s not always necessary to have a fancy, high dollar 400mm lens either. Even point and shoot cameras are available with some larger optical zoom features that do nicely for the amateur photographer. Selecting the right exposure can be very challenging with eagle photography because of the contrast in their white heads and tails and very dark bodies. Those factors combined with sunny days or cloudy days can make exposure a headache. The correct shutter speed, aperture setting and ISO are crucial and are agonizingly painful to get perfect. For eagle photography there are a few things to keep in mind.

Having a camera that is versatile as well is essential and I find that setting my camera to manual mode and making adjustments according to the conditions and the subject make for the best photos. While I’m certainly not a professional photographer by any means, I have taken enough magazine photos of wildlife to be dangerous. Manual mode operation gives me the control that I want. There are a lot of errors along the way complete with devastatingly disappointing results at times but you’ll move quickly along the learning curve with patience and practice. Try practicing on pigeons, doves or other common birds. A fast shutter speed is a good place to start and setting the camera to 1/1600 of a second to help freeze the eagle’s wings and to decrease camera shake is a great idea in general. Eagles aren’t exactly a hummingbird and have a fairly slow wing beat so you can certainly freeze wing motion with as little as 1/1000 of a second in most cases as well if so desired.

Adjust your ISO setting according to the available light but take consideration that higher ISO settings can lead to a “noisy” or “grainy” photo. I find myself using an ISO of 400 quite regularly. Try setting your camera to auto white balance (or Auto WB) and shoot with that much of the time. You can adjust the white balance later in post processing on your computer as well but this setting helps. I’ll regularly set the f/stop to f/5.6. This gives me room to increase or decrease the exposure at will as needed and I can do it quickly when time is critical for the shot. Have all of your settings ready to go so when you do come across an eagle in the field you’re ready and can quickly make minor adjustments more easily. Take note that it is usually better to have a slightly over-exposed eagle in the picture than a properly exposed sky for the most part.

Lastly don’t forget to respect the animal and use some ethics while trying to get the shot. Eagles burn a lot of calories in the cold winter months and chasing them off of a meal leads to the loss of those much needed calories. If you discover a nest in particular, this is not a place to go chasing down eagle photos at a close distance. Eagles could possibly be stressed to the point of not wanting to return to the nest if pursued and antagonized to closely or too often. You could find yourself in hot water with the DNR or Fish & Wildlife officials should you venture too close. Don’t forget that they are a federally protected bird.

If you want a fun hobby that you can combine with your hunts of other animals when the opportunity presents itself or maybe after your winter hunt is over and you’re driving home with the camera, try taking advantage of the next eagle sighting you encounter. You may just find it to be joyful side hobby that you can’t get enough of. Take time to enjoy and capture on film what several generations before us in Iowa never had the opportunity to see.