Bald Eagle, Cape Arago State Park, Oregon
Making a photo of a Bald Eagle here in the Upper Mississippi Valley isn’t really such a difficult task anymore. This species was delisted from the endangered species list in 2007 after a remarkable population recovery due to conservation efforts like habitat preservation and captive breeding programs. At or near the Mississippi River or even at many tributary rivers you most likely can see them. When they perch you may find them in a dead tree or on a branch in a deciduous tree. During our recent trip to the Pacific Northwest I wanted a different shot, a Bald Eagle perched in a coniferous tree. Their population is not as dense as here in eastern Iowa, but I finally found a bird that would become part of my story telling. We don’t have really many conifers where an eagle could perch but at the Oregon coast I found the difference I was looking for.
Nikon Z6II, Nikon NIKKOR Z 600 f/6.3 VR S, Nikon Z Teleconverter TC-1.4x, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head, @ 840mm, 1/2000s, f/9, ISO 400, image slightly cropped,