LOFTY SIGNS OF SPRING--

This Bald Eagle is tending to nesting chores along the shore of Charles Mill Reservoir off Harlan Road. The picture was done April 2nd from a distance likely exceeding 125 yards with my camera attached to my telescope, a Meade ETX 90 EC. The scope has a focal length of about 1,300 mm.

The dark, fuzzy elements in the picture are the branches of trees in the near foreground of the nest, rendered mostly out of focus by the lens’ very shallow depth of field.

Crisp focus on the bird also was difficult to achieve because I was shooting from the bed of my pick-up truck to have a good elevation for the composition. The slightest movement of the truck or the nesting tree is amplified by the strong magnification of the lens thus slightly degrading the sharpness of the image.

The small photo right is the equipment rig I use to do these photos.  It includes my Canon Rebel Xti digital SLR camera attached by an adapter to my Meade telescope.  The scope acts like a manual lens.  The loose wire dangling between the camera and scope is an electronic shutter control--designed to minimize camera shake during the physical act of pushing the shutter release.

The small picture was done at the actual location used to do the lower photo of the two eagles on the nest.  You can see the nest in the far distance (left center edge) of the small photo.  The nest, estimated to be about 7 feet in diameter is that little dark spot just above the horizon.  I hope this will give you an appreciation of the degree of magnification this telescope/lens produces.

This photo was done April 5th of a nesting pair of eagles along Pleasant Hill Road about 1/2 mile east of the golf course.  I estimate the distance to the nest at about 200 yards.  It was done from the front yard of long-ago friends Nancy and Jerry Howell who have graciously invited us to return anytime to continue our work.

The Pleasant Hill nest already contains two chicks.  I intend to visit this nest weekly and hope to document the feeding and growth of those now baby eagles--photos I hope to share as this season rolls along.

Please stay tuned.