Over
the last four years I have been privileged to have my own pair of nesting bald
eagles, returning every year to hunt and breed across the Connecticut River, from
my town of Chesterfield New Hampshire. They nested at the top of an old
snag at the edge of the river, from which they could swoop down on food and
eject their young for their first perilous flights. I found a spot across
the river on the New Hampshire side, from which I could watch the early season
nest building and the appearance of one or two fledglings. 
This
spring I was saddened to discover that the dead snag with the nest on top had
fallen into the river. As we get into the breeding season, I have been
scouting up and down the river hoping that my eagles will build a new nest
close to home, but, so far, I have no eagles or nests. I will continue to
patrol the river, but my loss has encouraged me to recall all the majestic
beauty that I have been privileged to observe over the last four years. I
have covered this in my article for this week’s New England Photography Blog, but here I would like to show some of
the pictures of “my eagles” that didn’t fit in the NEPG article.
Photographing
Bald Eagles, much like all birds, takes a great deal of patience. Long
periods of quiet nest sitting are punctuated every 40-50 minutes by the split-second
excitement of a bird landing or taking off. It is always fun to catch the
eagles bringing nesting material or a morsel of food for the checks, but any
excuse for them to spread their dramatic wings is exciting.
Occasionally,
the interactions between the birds can be more interesting as the adults, or
more mature juveniles, vie for dominance in the nest.
Enjoy
the pictures in this gallery and those in my NEPG blog. Also check out
the links to other articles in my “Getting it Right in the Digital Camera Blog.
And, of course, join with me in calling my eagles home!
Jeffrey
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