Today’s post was a real treat to observe and photograph during my recent “Wintering Bald Eagles” photo workshop on the Mississippi River … an adult Bald Eagle pirating a fish away from an immature Bald Eagle. In the winter, the eagles appear to be quite communal, roosting and perching with other eagles … often multiple eagles on a single branch! But when it comes to food, they often turn to pirating fish away from other eagles (and gulls!):
Burning excess calories is something the eagles try to avoid in the winter. Thus, taking a fish away from another eagle will often take less energy than flying around and catching their own.
Photographic Equipment Used:
- Canon 5D Mark 3 body
- Canon EF 100mm-400mm, f/4.5-f/5.6 IS lens, with Canon 1.4x TC, shot at 435mm
- Handheld, with IS “On”
- ISO 3200 (early in the morning with a cloud cover made it necessary for a high ISO, to get a high shutter speed)
- Aperture f/11 (I opened up a bit to assure both eagles would totally be in focus)
- Shutter 1/1000 sec.