A few more as I go through the selection. Please forgive my aggressive posting..... Say uncle when I should stop....

[BillM]

Say uncle when I should stop....

Dear Aunty Em,
Hate you, hate Kansas, took the dog, went to look at some eagle pics.
Love, Darthy

[MountainCat]

Awesome pictures!!!

[imtheguy]

Is that a statue? Frozen Eagle? How do you get within 15-20' of an Eagle? Even with crops you were damn near casting a shadow on it. I love that kind of critter closeup! Thanks for the additional posts.

[cdurfor]

Several of the eagles at Jamestown, VA have become very friendly with the archaeological crew. They often only show up on weekdays when the crew is working. Last Sunday I was out to try and catch a few shots (rather then interrupt my digging) and no crew, no eagles. So, its one of the charms of Jamestown. Come on down, the raptors, bluebirds, foxes and even the butterbutts are great.

C. Durfor

[imtheguy]

Several of the eagles at Jamestown, VA have become very friendly with the archaeological crew. They often only show up on weekdays when the crew is working. Last Sunday I was out to try and catch a few shots (rather then interrupt my digging) and no crew, no eagles. So, its one of the charms of Jamestown. Come on down, the raptors, bluebirds, foxes and even the butterbutts are great.

C. Durfor

Be careful what you say. I live about 45 minutes from Jamestown and would love to do some BIFs with raptors of any kind, especially Eagles I have only shot once in VaB and then from so far away I didnt realize I captured Eagles until I reviewed the shots.

But for real, where is the dig? is the public allowed in the areas where the Eagles beg for fish?

thanks.

[cdurfor]

Caveat - This is not an everyday event. I've only witnessed 2 close up feeding events and the last was 2 years ago. The eagle was kind enough to allow one of the arcaheologsts to approach reasonably close..



it was interesting because at that point the bird, would not leave the meal, but put on a defensive display that was both raised feathers and a nictitating membrane across the eye. (K100-D, handheld with Da 55-300mm)



So close up eagle feeding is not a common event, however, as a 5 mile wetland National Park Reserve in the midst of developing urban tidewater, birds tend to visit at lot and sometimes you can catch an eagle atop one of the historical recreations...



More common are the distant sightings in trees or out over the river snapping a fish. In addition, come winter there is one nest visible from the parking lot of the Visitor Center, however, its at the limit of my 300mm glass....



While eagle sightings up close are not always predictable. There are many other birds which seem to be comfortable with people, I guess its the large volume of tourists that de-sensitize the animals to people. For example, one day walking off the field, this red tailed hawk sat on a tree almost within reach as I crossed the bridge (once again not a common event, but certainly unforgettable). I've also found this de-sensitization to wildlife occurring at the C&O Canal (outside DC) which makes from great Great Heron photos.



So, if you are willing to take a chance on what nature provides Jamestown Island (Historic Jamestown) is at the end of the Colonial Parkway which can be reached from Rte 64 via Rte 199. (Please don't go to Jamestown Settlement which has 3 ships, but is an amusement park without the wildlife.)

Also the Jamestown/Scotland ferry is a great source for birds. This spring, an osprey nest was occupied right next to the pier on the North side of the James on a couple of occasions I rode the ferry for a couple of hours so that I could shoot down into the nest. (Unfortuntely, I'm still trying to overcome the vibration problems from the ferry engine).



Sorry to run long, but its a great secret to share. Hope to see more Pentaxians out and about the island.....

[tim.anderson]

I really appreciate you sharing this, my wife and I volunteered at a Raptor Rehabilitation Project in Missouri while we were there and love to pictures of raptors when we can. We will be in Norfolk next year, we have a 7 month detour coming up in October that takes us up to Rhode Island. I might try to sneak down there one of these weekends before October as I am just up in the Northern Neck right now.

Tim

[cdurfor]

Oh! Most important! Please forgive my forgettful mind...

The Wildlife Center of Virginia is a hospital for native wildlife, who also teaches the world to care about and to care for wildlife and the environment.

Their website is worth bookmarking because throughout the year they permit folks to view/photograph the release of raptors after they have been healed. Ed Clark and his staff took care of one of the injured eagles at Jamestown and are worthy of everyone's support.

The Wildlife Center of Virginia

[imtheguy]

Oh! Most important! Please forgive my forgettful mind...

The Wildlife Center of Virginia is a hospital for native wildlife, who also teaches the world to care about and to care for wildlife and the environment.

Their website is worth bookmarking because throughout the year they permit folks to view/photograph the release of raptors after they have been healed. Ed Clark and his staff took care of one of the injured eagles at Jamestown and are worthy of everyone's support.

The Wildlife Center of Virginia

Thank you for all the information and unbelivable closeups. I will try to hit the next Raptor release from the Wildlife Center as well as make a run down 64/rt199 for some Eagle goodness. Your pics and info much appreciated.

[8540tomg]

All the shots in this series have been great but those last two are my personal favourites. Well done.

Tom G

[dcmsox2004]

national geographic worthy... stunning shots... a real treat to view...dave m