Description
Bald Eagles used to be extremely rare, and was even on the official endangered species list in Ontario. However in the last couple of decades there has been a resurgence of this large raptor, to the point where they are becoming almost common place. Christmas Bird Counts are recording them quite regularly. On January 1, 2014, there were at least 46 Bald Eagles at the southern end of Lake St. Clair near Windsor, ON. More recently, there have been as many as 29 reported in the upper reaches of the St. Clair River just south of Sarnia, ON. There is enough open water which has attracted hundreds of ducks, geese and swans. Fish are apt to be caught near some of the warm water outlets which keep the river free of ice in some places. It is therefore a great locale for capturing images of these impressive raptors, if one can stand out in the extremely cold weather for long enough and the camera batteries don't die! I photographed this individual, which is a first year bird, on February 12, 2014. It will take up to 5 years for the birds to attain their adult plumage of a fully white head and tail. The overnight temperatures had dropped to minus 23C, although it did warm up to a balmy -14C, but with the wind, it was still bitterly cold.
Taken By
Allen Woodliffe
Taken On
February 12, 2014
Tagged
'bald
eagle'
'raptor'
'bird'
eagle'
'st
clair
river'
'juvenile'
-
Focal:
500
-
Shutter speed:
0.000625
sec
-
Aperture: f/
7.1
-
ISO: 400
