About Me

My photo
Spofford, New Hampshire, United States
Jeff Newcomer had been a physician practicing in New Hampshire and Vermont for over 30 years. Over that time, as a member of the Conservation Commission in his home of Chesterfield New Hampshire, he has used his photography to promote the protection and appreciation of the town's wild lands. In recent years he has been transitioning his focus from medicine to photography, writing and teaching. Jeff enjoys photographing throughout New England, but has concentrated on the Monadnock Region and southern Vermont and has had a long term artistic relationship with Mount Monadnock. He is a featured artist in a number of local galleries and his work is often seen in regional print, web publications and in business installations throughout the country. For years Jeff has published a calendar celebrating the beauty of The New England country-side in all seasons. All of the proceeds from his New England Reflections Calendar have gone to support the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program at the Cheshire Medical Center. Jeff has a strong commitment to sharing his excitement about the special beauty of our region and publishes a blog about photography in New England.

Sunday, March 5, 2017

The Eagles are Back


Occasionally Catching the Eagles in Flight
 

Nesting 2016
Last week I dropped by the Connecticut River and was thrilled to see that my Eagles are back.  They are working on their nest, suspended precariously at the top of a snag,  high above the Vermont shore.   With varying degrees of success, this has been their breeding site for many years.  The consistent location makes it easy to follow, and photograph, their progress.  Last year one hatchling appeared to flourish.
 

Foam and Tripod
 



Fly-Over
The nest can be viewed from along the River Road in West Chesterfield, but from the closest spot, it is still nearly 250 yards away.  I typically settle on the side of the road and steady my long lens on a piece of custom cut foam,  fitted to my window glass.  I'm getting better at catching the birds in flight, but more often, the action comes when an eagle takes off or lands on the nest.  On average, this happens once every 30-40 minutes.  The rest of the time is consumed by long periods of unexciting sitting, both for the eagles and myself.
 

 



More Sticks this Year
 
 



Building from 2016
So far I have only seen evidence of nest building.  The birds generally arrive  with bunches of sticks, and only occasionally with an unfortunate supper entrée.  I can only hope that all the nesting activity will eventually lead to little eagles, but we don’t have a nest cam, so I will have to wait for small heads to poke up over the edge.



Favorite Take-Off from 2016




Banking
I won’t be able to get back to my spot along the river or a couple of weeks.  Who knows what excitement might unfold in the interim.



 
Jeffrey Newcomer
partridgebrookreflections.com

1 comment:

  1. Nice captures on Eagles. quick question. Which digital camera brand you are using? I am also a big fan of wild life photography. and i think it will help in my photography mission. Anyway, thanks for sharing your fantastic journey..

    ReplyDelete