For many years the American Bald Eagle was hunted for sport to the point they were on the brink of extinction.  Since removed from the endangered species list on July 12, 1995, this wondrous bird of prey can be found in almost every state in the union.  These powerful birds use their talons to fish and they live near water and favor coasts and lakes where fish are plentiful, though they will also snare and eat small mammals.

Location(s)

In Maryland, the best place(s) to photograph these majestic birds are the Conowingo Dam on the lower Susquehanna River and the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Cambridge, MD.  From November to February the Conowingo Dam attracts over a hundred species of birds, but the bald eagles are the main attraction.  If you live outside the mid-Atlantic area, you can check the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website for eagles near you.

From November to February the Conowingo Dam attracts over a hundred species of birds, but the bald eagles are the main attraction.

You can often find these birds diving for fish or resting and eating on tree limbs. At Blackwater, you often find the birds nesting and soaring over the tree lines.  This brings me to the number one question I’m asked:  What type of photo gear do I need?

It is best to use a digital camera with a APS-C sensor (also known as “crop sensor”) and a “fast” long lens (300mm or 400mm recommended).  Don’t worry, if you don’t own one of these expensive lenses you can easily rent one from local camera shops.  A monopod or tripod is also highly recommended.  I usually shoot RAW format, but for Bald Eagles I prefer .JPG so I can get the highest frame-per-second rate as possible with my camera.

Camera Settings

I recommend using a shutter speed of 1/500 sec or faster and an aperture (F-Stop of  f4 or f5.6 (f8 for brighter days).  I set my ISO to 100 or 200 for the best quality image without introducing too much noise.  The image above was shot using a 1/750th sec shutter at f8 and ISO 200, using a 400mm lens.

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