Photo of the Day
Today is the day! For a few weeks I have been reading up on bald eagle activity in Lafayette/West Lafayette. I tried a few ‘hot spots’ with no luck. Then one day by chance I found this little park just down the road from here on the Wabash. My first trip there I saw an eagle fly into a tree. I wondered if it was nesting so I have made a few trips back to the same spot with no luck. Today looked to be much of the same. I had a decent picture of a duck flying across the water that I took when I first got to my spot. From there on out I pretty much just sat and watched the river flow. I thought that I already had my picture, and was contemplating what to do when the ducks on the water suddenly started to fly away. They were going the wrong way so my camera did not come up. It was then that I saw the eagle flying right at me. Those shots did not turn out, but I had him in my sights by the time he turned broadside. Instead of firing a shot right away I panned with him for a second, and then fired a shot off. This is the result of that. The rest of my shots were similar, but none turned out this good. Now that I know where his nest is for sure I may have to try and see some more of this awesome bird.
Technical Data
This section will be short today. The only post processing done to this shot was a major crop. The 70-200mm is a great lens, but it doesn’t have the reach I needed to get this even with the 1.4x extender. With the crop sensor and the extender I basically am shooting at 440mm. That is great for most instances, but not here. The trick is to be patient and wait for him to come to me. I got lucky here. Next time I have to be in better position so that luck doesn’t play such a big part. I am thrilled to finally have an eagle shot in the can. Now that I have the first I have to build on that to make them better each time. Why stop at the eagle in flight? Capturing an eagle grabbing something out of the water would be a fantastic challenge, and an even better shot.
Kelby Worldwide Photowalk
Here is that part of the post where I talk about the photowalk that I am leading on campus after the Wisconsin game in October. The date is October 13th to be exact, and the walk will start at 4 o’clock est at the Neil Armstrong Statue in front of the Armstrong Hall of Engineering. Nearly 1,000 photowalks are planned around the world. If you are not near West Lafayette then you kind find a walk near you on the Kelby site. Sign up now to be part of this event. Nearly 15,000 walkers have already signed up so far. Activity has picked up a bit on the Purdue sites even with the short time being posted. You don’t have to be a pro (I am far from it) to attend. Any kind of camera is welcome as well. Here are a few links to the various sites which promote the event. If you want to sign up you should do so on the Kelby site in order to be eligible for the prizes though.
Kelby Worldwide Photo Walk ( Official Purdue Site)
Dave Wegiel Photography 
Always a thrill to see an eagle in flight!!
It was! I will have to see many more I guess.