Bald Eagles In the Wild

We see many patriotic posters and photos of bald eagles taking flight, or making a dramatic landing, or sitting proudly, but many people never see a photo of an eagle doing ordinary everyday wild bird things.

Experienced eagle photographers have lots of pictures of eagles acting like an ordinary bird rather than a national symbol. If those photographers are new, or almost new, to eagle photography they might not like those "ordinary" photos at all. They want that national symbol, poster photo.

Bald eagle sitting in a pine tree

However, for my taste, those ordinary photos are great. I sometimes want to see an eagle acting like a bird and not a national symbol. I want to see them getting dirty, or trying to find their next meal, or maybe just so bored they nod off to sleep. I no longer enjoy seeing an eagle making a bloody mess eating a small animal raw. But I have seen all those things.

Bald eagle walking around in a shallow pond

Eagle photography 101

Most photographers who start to photograph eagles are excited just to get out with their cameras and gear - as they should be. It is a great hobby. It gives the photographer a chance to learn about the beautiful bald eagle and lots of other wildlife things along the way. It leads the photographer to polish and improve their photography skills. And it will likely lead to them improving their equipment as well, and yes that does mean spending significant dollars.

On a mild December day here in the Tennessee River Valley, dozens of eagle photographers, both male and female, will turn out to enjoy the company of other eagle photographers and take in the great

Eagle photographers on the lakeside watching an eagle nest

outdoors - and take some pictures of other wildlife while they wait on the eagle. And yes I said December. Eagle photography can be an almost year round pastime, but if one wants to see eagles, the winter months are far more productive than the summertime.

Eagles actually begin their nesting and reproduction cycle in the autumn of the year. They build a nest or, more often, repair an old nest, in the fall. They actually begin mating in late fall or early winter. In the Tennessee Valley they lay eggs in December and January. Those eggs hatch about a month later so babies are usually hatched into the cold of winter. The babies stay in the nest about 11 or 12 weeks. That is a long time for a baby bird to stay in a nest, but after all, Mother Nature isn't raising an ordinary bird here, she is making an eagle, and that takes time.

Cruising the Tennessee River

Eagle and moon

Are you looking at me?

Need a drink of water

Finding Bald Eagles living in the wild

An eagle photographer might find an eagle nest and hopefully it will be on public land or land where the landowner won't mind photographers coming around. And oh yea, a spot where the nest is visible from the ground. Meeting those requirements actually eliminates the large majority of nests for photography.

Two good places to see eagles in north Alabama are Lake Guntersville State Park and the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge Visitor's Center near Decatur. The Civitan Park in Guntersville, also known as the Sunset Drive walking trail park is often a great place to see eagles.

Lake Guntersville State Park usually has a good program in the winter months for learning about eagles and getting out on a guided tour to see eagles. https://www.alapark.com/EagleAwarenessWeekends

Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge is a great place to see all kinds of wildlife in the winter months, including eagles. https://www.fws.gov/refuge/wheeler

Being good at eagle photography takes time. The learning curve from beginner to average can easily take six months up to a couple of years. Making friends with other eagle photographers is a key step. One learns a lot from more experienced photographers. And making new friends is valuable beyond the value of a thousand photographs.

Watching the photographer

Eagle and sky

Eagle pair in pine tree

Two eagles in a tree again

Still somedays one can get a sense of satisfaction from getting out on your own and finding new spots and new eagles and leading friends to that new exciting place. As for me personally, I have no interest in having my own secret site where I take great pictures and then keep it all to myself. I want to have friends, so I want to BE a friend.

But I can say for sure that some photographers do want to know that secret place and be that person who doesn't share. Now I am not saying that they aren't good people, because many of them are good people, great people - great people who like to keep secrets.

In Summary

If you live in north Alabama or southern middle Tennessee, it isn't too difficult to get out and see a Bald Eagle acting like a wild bird rather than a National Symbol. And if you look long enough, you will see them acting like a national symbol at times with that beautiful flight, or a powerful take-off or landing, or that white head posed in a strong profile. Just get out and give it a try!

And remember that comments are welcomed here in the box at the bottom of this page. I really like reading those comments. And you can ask questions there as well. I will try hard to give you a good answer.

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