It seems appropriate that with the inauguration of our 44th president this past week that I took a short two day trip to photograph our national symbol—the Bald Eagle. I have written in the past that I have been leading bird watching trips professionally for over 20 years. At least once a year in late winter I lead a trip just to see Bald Eagles. Ten to fifteen participants join me to explore the backwaters of the Mississippi River in search of eagles.

When I first started leading these trips to see eagles along the Mississippi River it would have been a great day to see a dozen or so eagles. We would search high and low in every backwater bay and forest along a stretch of nearly 100 miles of river. When we did find eagles we were in awe and elated. Over the years the numbers of eagles we found have steadily increased to a nice healthy population. Now it’s not uncommon to see hundreds of eagles in a single day.

So this past week I spent two days long the banks of the mighty Mississippi river photographing our national symbol with some good friends. We were elated to see hundreds and hundreds of eagles flying against a deep blue winter sky. The sun had just come up when we arrived and the eagles were already fishing for their breakfast. We stepped from the car into a bone chilling -20 degrees below zero air temperature. Fortunately there was no wind leaving us relatively comfortable. Dressing for these extreme temperatures is never easy and keeping camera batteries and extremities from freezing isn’t a lot of fun.

The bone crushing cold air temperatures was causing steam to rise from the open water where the eagles were fishing. It was inspiring to see the eagles gliding through the steam as they skimmed over the waters surface looking for fish. Within minutes of arriving we were all set up and we were making wonderful images of these amazing birds. We estimated several hundred eagles were fishing right in front of us at any given time and there were nearly 800 eagles in the general vicinity. For the next three hours we photographed the eagles until a thick cloud deck came in and blocked out the sunshine. We took this opportunity to warm up and get some much needed lunch.

The forecast for the second day was for clouds so we had no aspiration for photographing but as luck would have it, the weather forecast was wrong. We woke to clear skies. We putting on extra layers grabbed a quick breakfast and headed out to the eagles. Upon arrival we were thrilled to see the birds were swirling around just above the water as they were the day before. Each bird taking turns to dive down to snatch a fish from the water’s surface. Everyone noted that there was hardly any fighting or interaction going on between the eagles. It would seem that there was enough fish to go around and there was no need to expend extra energy fighting amongst themselves.

The light was perfect, the water was deep blue and the eagles were as majestic as ever. For the next three hours the eagles put on a show like no other. Diving and swooping as they snatched fish after fish from the water. After grabbing the fish from the water they would quickly transfer the fish from their foot to their mouth and within seconds and without landing, swallow the fish whole. Fish that were too large to swallow whole were carried off to a nearby tree or onto the frozen river where they would tear it apart and eat.

While our small group stood their photographing the eagles I reminisced about my history with our national symbol. How I have personally seen this bird go from uncommon to abundant and it made me feel good how we have been able to bring such a magnificent bird back from the brink of extinction. So now it can be enjoyed by generations to come. Until next time…