Eagles on the Wisconsin River

Notice an eagle in the tree over the Wisconsin River.  2/11/2023 dwm photo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Every year, except one since returning to Wisconsin, we've spent time on the west shore of the Wisconsin River north of Prairie du Sac and Sauk City admiring Bald eagles.

About to fly. 2/11/2023 dwm photo

My two usual stops are below Alliant Energy's hydroelectric dam and a short ride downriver at the park near the VFW.

Just below the dam you can count on seeing an eagle or two.  As we drove to the spectator parking lot, I saw an eagle above the lot, lined up perfectly with the sun.

It seems the eagles sense they are being watched and find a branch with plenty of obstacles between them and anybody trying to take a look.

 

Looking up into the tree from below, I was able to crank my camera into position where it was possible to get a few shots with the eagle mostly obscured by the tree.  

 

It was a difficult shot because the automatic focus feature of the camera couldn't decide whether to define the closest or next-closest branch.  Because of that I focused manually and hoped for a couple good pictures.

 

After take-off, this was the next perch. dwm

 You can't expect a lot of movement, as eagles will patiently survey the water waiting for their next meal.  They might sit and look a long time before deciding to move.

 Photos in flight are difficult to capture.  An eagle at rest high in a tree is a slightly more friendly model.  

 After deciding the eagle roosting (photo at left) was going to be there a while, we drove back to town to check the park with a boat landing near the VFW Post.  There was a boat on the water Saturday morning, anchored a short distance below the dam.  It was 20.

This eagle patiently posed while on alert. dwm

As we turned into the park (top photo), a bird had its back to us as it looked up river.

 

After a few wide, I drove closer, trying to find an angle where the eagle was in full view.

 

The park wasn't busy but every vehicles driving through made noise passing over clumps of frozen snow.  I shut off the car, lifted the camera and composed the shot, then took several dozen shots, some wide, some as close as my lens could get and many in between.

 

I was extremely happy with several shots; but none were as exciting as the lucky picture of an eagle in flight last year. 

Catching up with the majestic birds around Sauk Prairie is one of my favorite traditions.  Yesterday it occurred to me how blessed I am to live so close to a place where you can be confident there will be eagles roosting or in flight along the Wisconsin River during the winter.  Here's a few more photos:

My lens took a wider shot but the focus held when the photo was cropped. 2/11/23 dwm

The eagle in the 2nd and 3rd photo above, heads to another perch. 2/11/23 dwm photo

The eagle can't spin its head around but has nearly a 360-degree view. 2/11/2023 dwm photo