The pick up

[Ben Egbert]

One of the money shots of Eagle photography is the fish pick up. You position yourself where some dying salmon are struggling near the water and where eagles are perched nearby. The eagles usually get a fish about once every 20 minutes or so in my experience.

Getting the close enough, in decent light and catching the sequence in focus is the challenge.

Here is a sequence I captured just before I moved to Utah. This is on the east side of Lake Coeur d Alene.

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• Ben Egbert
• Aug 30, 2017

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• Ben Egbert
• Aug 30, 2017

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• Ben Egbert
• Aug 30, 2017
• 1

 

[Kyle Jones]

Great sequence but I love that last one!

 

[Ben Egbert]

Thanks Kyle

 

[Tracy G]

Wow the look on its face is so fierce. If I were a salmon I would have died before he caught me. Great sequence.

 

[Ben Egbert]

Thanks Tracy, here is another one side view and probably a higher image quality.

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• Ben Egbert
• Aug 30, 2017
• 5

 

[Jeffrey]

Great imaging, Ben. That takes work. Too bad his meal is so small.

 

[Ben Egbert]

Great imaging, Ben. That takes work. Too bad his meal is so small.

Yes, it is, and I have seen Osprey fly away with a trout so big they could hardly fly. But the kokanee salmon are so overpopulated in that lake that they are stunted. Sometimes baldies capture ducks.

 

[Tex Schneider]

Ben:

I love the look on his face in #1! Great sequence. Thanks for sharing.

Tex

 

[Martín el Escocés]

Smashing series Ben - full of action and timing. A real glimpse into the character of eagles with the concentration and fierceness etc. A lot of work for a little reward, as Jeffrey said! I was quite surprised when I saw it in no 3 - more tapa than main!

 

[Ben Egbert]

Smashing series Ben - full of action and timing. A real glimpse into the character of eagles with the concentration and fierceness etc. A lot of work for a little reward, as Jeffrey said! I was quite surprised when I saw it in no 3 - more tapa than main!

Thanks Martin. Yes, thats a spawning Kookenee salmon adult, stunted by overpopulation.

 

[Ryan10]

Nice shots. Eagles are amazing! YouTube videos of these things flying off mountain slopes with goats and wolves.

 

[Ben Egbert]

Thanks Ryan.

 

[JimFox]

Hey Ben,

I had seen this, but some how had missed commenting on this. You have a really cool series of shots here, you really nailed it.

Jim

 

[Ben Egbert]

Hey Ben,

I had seen this, but some how had missed commenting on this. You have a really cool series of shots here, you really nailed it.

Jim

Thanks Jim, I suspect it's because they appear in the banner, you had already seen them before.