Each spring I always look forward to the arrival of our Bald eagle visitors who line the shore of the bay just down from my home here on Salt Spring Island. We have seen as many as 40 hungry eagles feasting on the midshipman fish which bury themselves in the mud flats during the day and which draw the eagles closer to us humans on the ground.
At the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, I spent hours at the beach—my refuge when our parks and nature reserves were closed—marvelling at these acrobatic hunters. At that time, after having gathered a plethora of shots of eagles soaring through the sky over the years, I decided to try and capture more intimate portrait shots.
This particular image is one of my favourites. It was captured just after this eagle had lost his catch and while he was still very low over the water, giving me a chance to create an almost full-frame portrait shot with my 300 mm lens. There is something incredible about his expression as he seems to be talking to himself, reminding himself to just focus and not let his next catch get away!
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