Rangefinder Magazine
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In Search of the American Eagle by Jim Oltersdorf
An In-depth Look at This Greatest of Aviators

The Haliaeetus leucocephalus may indeed be a scavenger and robber but I would disagree with Mr. Franklin in his stated character description. The commanding seven-and-one-half foot wing span aerial helmsman of the skies dominates all of the heavens. There is no greater or powerful force on wings in North America. To me, this most magnificent bird was correctly installed as the symbol of our nation.

If one ever doubts the tremendous velocity of the eagle, when threatened or in defense of its territory, it only takes a millisecond if such intruders were to venture into this winged gladiator’s nesting grounds. Streaking from dizzying heights, the assaults send most everything, including fools, scurrying rapidly away. With 2-3 inch long needle-sharp claws, a 50 mph rake across a living body will eviscerate any intruder. The slogan written on the face of this white-headed, feathered F-15 should be, “Trespassers Beware.”

So how does one photograph these sovereign and stately birds in safety and with respect for their environment? Study them. Learn about their every habit, antic, behavior and condition. Because we have two species of eagles (golden and bald) in our nation, they have distinct and separate behaviors, flight characteristics and physical attributes. Their methodologies of hunting and habits couldn’t be more different.

Having a thorough understanding of these aristocrats leads a photographer to encourage respect, safekeeping and enjoyment for them. I follow my self-induced creed of never allowing my photographic pursuits to interfere with the behavior of an eagle or affect its sanctuary. There can never be a time when getting the photograph is more important than the birds’ welfare…ever.

During the incubation period in spring, outside temperatures are still very cold with some eagles actually laying their eggs and incubating them in snow storms! Because eagles grow very slowly (they don’t attain their white heads until five years old—also the time they become sexually mature) after they are hatched, they are extremely susceptible to environmental conditions. Being too close to the nest during these times can produce stress, resulting in the parents possibly abandoning the nest. It only takes a few minutes for the precious eggs to cool to a point of killing the embryo during incubation if you happen to cause the parent to fly off while it is sitting on the clutch. During the summer months when the midday heat is at it’s worst, sometimes the only shade an eaglet has is the spread wings of the parent bird.

An interesting behavior occurs when the temperature is high. Eagles cannot sweat like humans to cool their body temperature. Like a dog, they have to open their mouths to allow body heat to escape, thus cooling themselves, and often giving the appearance of “screaming,” which makes for a dramatic photograph.

Eagles have many other reasons why they open their mouths, but a picture with the bird’s beak open is much more interesting than one with their mouths closed. When eagles threaten each other by trespassing over other eagles’ territory, squabbling about food or seeking dominance, their beaks open wide. Using an 800mm f/5.6 lens, I set the camera’s film advance on it’s highest possible rate for sequential images of this behavior. These 3–5 second displays often produce memorable images. And they might be the only eagle photographs you have the opportunity to shoot in your entire trip!

Winter months are one of the best times to capture the truly sensational sights of eagles. They have a knack for knowing where the fish are, which means that is where you should set your sights. Whether it’s Idaho, Washington, Montana or even Alaska, bald eagles will always congregate around open water. Iced over areas are usually abandoned by the birds since they are cut off from their main food source.

Winter driving in states such as rural Nevada allow you to see golden eagles eating off the carcasses of road-killed hares or other animals. Golden eagles are not usually found around water areas as they are normally a high-elevation bird. These tawny-brown masters of avian flight are a much more secretive bird, defiantly keeping to some of the most remote regions of the nation.

Long lenses make sense for photographing eagles, especially if you decide to go after the goldens. An 800mm f/5.6 lens is probably ideal, and coupled with a 1.4X or even 2X tele-extender makes an excellent choice for the wide range of behaviors you will encounter. For compositional study, the eagle should comprise at least 40 percent of the frame. It will be very disappointing when you get your film back and see a tiny speck in the frame that you can hardly make out as an eagle.

One of the drawbacks to using big lenses is weight, especially when hauling equipment into the back country where the goldens habitate. Look for these birds to be soaring high in mountainous areas, a good pair of binoculars can be a valued item to enable you to accurately identify them. Goldens are attracted to winter kills of pronghorn, mule deer, elk and hares. It is not uncommon to find a number of them feeding on one. Set up a blind in the area, sit back and wait and after a short period they’re sure to be back. Because this meal may very well be the only food source in the winter months, be sensitive to not disturbing them by setting your blind too close to the kill. Winter is the most critical time of the year for survival of eagles and frightening them off the only source of food around for miles can be disastrous.

A nice trick for photographing these winged aviators up close is to set up a remote triggering device to trip your camera when they are at a kill. I use a Nikon M-1 transmitter and receiver for this and have found the setup to work well! I set my Nikon F5 on a small tripod close to the kill and weigh it down to establish a stable platform. Attaching the receiver to the hot-shoe of the camera, I then hide and await the coming event. Snuggled in my blind, I then can be out of the bone-chilling elements and get as many frames as are on a roll of film. Try to use a wide-angle lens as it is difficult to determine exactly where the eagle(s) will land.

Golden eagles prefer to live a solitary existence, which dictates photography be conducted in blinds or vehicles most of the time. It is interesting, however, that over a period of time they will seemingly adjust to a photographer if they are a “local” bird. It’s important if you expose yourself to the eagles, to always wear the same color and type of clothing.

The birds become used to this and although subtle to humans, it is very meaningful to the eagles since they acclimate in this manner. Even the smallest change in detail can scare them away. A fine example of this (as with many animals) is if you carry a tripod attached to your pack, always make it a habit to enter and exit their territory in that manner. Birds will learn to recognize your walk, how you stumble along the trail, even your posture when you sit resting on a log. They will watch you intently when you eat your sandwich and how you drink from your canteen.

The moment you change the conditioned habits you so painstakingly “taught” to the eagles, you become a stranger all over again. I have demonstrated this many times by parking my truck and walking within as little as 25 yards without the eagle flying away. I then walk back to the truck and have my friend hike towards the eagle only for it to fly away when he is hundreds of yards away. Simply said, the eagle doesn’t know him.

This is not the place for clanging, banging or other noises the birds are not accustomed to. Listen carefully to the environmental noises in the territories of eagles—their habitat is very quiet.

I have found the Nikkor f/2.8 ED 80–200mm lens to be one of my favorites for close-up portraits of eagles. It’s lightweight and very sharp. The 77mm diameter front of this lens means you’re going to be paying a little more for add-on filters and lens hoods, but that extra expense will be worth it.

Since a great deal of eagle photography is created with your lens pointed towards the sky, a circular polarizer will deepen the color of the blue with striking results. I particularly like a circular polarizer that screws onto the front element because it’s so much easier to simply twist it for maximum effect. Make sure that you position yourself, if possible, 90° to the sun for best results. A simple way of determining that you are shooting 90° from the sun is to point your index finger at it, extend your thumb making an L shape and that’s where maximum effect will be attained.

Film becomes a very personal choice but I have found Fujichrome is best for this type of photography, especially Provia and Velvia. Color saturation is excellent, and when mixed with the vast array of warming filters on the marketplace, the photographs are stunning! I like to stick to the age-old 100- speed films. Although it is likely you will encounter over-the-edge lighting conditions that will call for a higher film speed, I like the “Keep it Simple” profile. Too many times things can get very complicated very quickly and worrying about what film went where and was the ISO setting right means you lose focus and concentration.

A couple of years ago I spent the entire summer in a towering 185-foot cottonwood tree, adjacent to an active bald eagle’s nest. Much to my delight, there were three baby bald eaglets that were to become my “co-workers” for the summer. Although climbing that tree daily was a feat in itself, I sat for hours and hours observing. I began to learn a great deal more about the eagle’s life and how everything is affected by its surroundings.

Much to my surprise, the first time I made my way up the observation tree I spied a cavity about 30 feet below the eagle’s nest. Curiosity getting the best of me as I hung from a very small branch, revealed that a Canada goose had actually nested there. The adults successfully hatched a brood of goslings, all under the watchful eye of the eagles! I thought to myself, what a great place to have a secure (as long as the landlord doesn’t eat you!) and protected nest when the goose is susceptible to predator attacks. Since the Canada goose is not usually preyed upon by the eagle, this unusual arrangement made perfect sense. When the goslings hatched, they simply bailed out and embarked upon life’s cycle, all with the river running right below the nest tree.

Only a few individuals on earth have experienced what I did later that summer. I had no idea what was in store for me as I was caught up in the unfolding daily events and didn’t quite realize the larger picture until much later in the summer. This experience was to be one of the most powerful events in my career as an outdoor photographer.
Throughout those lazy days I watched the eaglets grow to almost comical and butterball-turkey size proportions. Their voracious appetites kept the parents constantly in search of fish and other food every waking moment of their lives. As the eaglets matured they would hop all over the huge nest flaring and flapping their wings, strengthening them with each stroke. At times it was all I could do to keep from laughing out loud when the siblings would beat each other in nature’s design to develop flight. It was a constant fight of who could flap their wings the fastest and longest. The siblings were outgrowing their apartment!

It was not long after the parents reduced the food supply, nearly starving the eaglets, that I began to understand why this new behavior had commenced. Initially, I thought something was very wrong as the parents appeared to be excellent food providers to the ever-hungry babies. They tapered off the quantity of food brought to the nest until virtually none was being brought. Ravenous with hunger, the fledglings became agitated with each other and kept screaming when their parents flew by as if they were teasing the eaglets.

Then, on a very magical, bright and sunny day in the wild Idaho mountains, both parent eagles soared high above the nest in ever-tightening circles and increasing speeds. I was in awe of this tribute to avian flight. The largest eaglet, a female, now an autocratic and streamlined size, perched upon a thick limb of the cottonwood tree that protruded from the nest. She extended her wings and started the usual beating that she had done thousands of times before. Then suddenly, she cocked her head to the side to look up at her parents, glanced down towards the stretch of open river and launched herself in her maiden voyage of flight. An eagle on the wing for the very first time!

Over the same afternoon, the other siblings took to the skies and when the last eaglet left the nest, there was a tear in my eye. I sat and pondered what I had experienced over the time I had spent with the eagle family. It was a moment of quiet and deep personal reflection. I rejoiced over the many hours spent high above the earth in that giant of a tree. The coterie of eagles gave an honor and dignity I had never felt before.

You see, although I took a number of images as the young eagles took flight, when I received the film back from the lab there were only photos of leaves and branches. Disappointed? No. Why? Because it was a moment in life when all values are placed in spiritual form. It was not necessary to sell the pictures nor was it to gain anything other than just the God-given experience. Ironically, to an outdoor photographer, that in itself was more than enough.

Jim Oltersdorf can be reached by e-mail at: highrisk@acsalaska.net. Visit his web site: www.joltersdorf.com.