Bald Eagle Photography

I never started out to be a wildlife photographer. Photographing wildlife found me and this bald eagle nest captured my interest. There are not a lot of photographic opportunities in Upstate New York in the winter unless there is new fallen snow. We have more grey and “dirty” days than pretty white snow days. But I found a new passion for bald eagle photography when the eagles and eaglets started appearing back in the area that I live in, the Mohawk Valley of Upstate New York.

Bald Eagle First Sights

Photographing this nest is a passion of mine. At first, the eagle created quite a stir in the little rural area that I live. A nesting pair of Eagles was more than a “sight to see”. Now eagles in Upstate NY have made a comeback. Previously, DDT almost eliminated the eagles. In 1960 there was only one nesting pair of eagles. The Federal Government passed the Endangered Species Act of 1973 and then New York followed suit with New York’s Endangered Species Program in 1977. As of February 2021, there are over 273 breeding pairs of bald eagles in New York.

Bald Eagle Facts

A bald eagle mates for life. In addition, they usually return to the same nest each year. Both the father and the mother incubate the eggs. The female is the larger eagle. She generally sits on the eggs throughout the evening. The male will be back each morning with food. Due to the locality of nearby rivers and canal, meals are often fish dinner. 

First Photographs of Bald Eagle and Eaglets

Below are pictures of the first photographed eaglets and this was also my first real introduction to bald eagle photography in a nest. There were three eggs and all three eaglets survived. Both eagles took turns feeding the eaglets. I spent weeks watching and photographing them – always from a safe distance. The nest is unique in that it is high in a tree as you would expect. However, from a trail, you can see the nest eye level. The nest is about 400 yards away so safe engouht that photographing them did not disturb the eagles in the natural environment. Without binoculars or a long camera lens, you would not have been able to see the eaglets. It was the best scenario for everyone for wildlife photography

The Future

I hope the eagles continue to live in the area. There are numerous other eagles in the Mohawk Valley and near the Mohawk River. But this nest was special to me. 

Debbi Marquette Photography is located in Upstate New York at the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains. Debbi is an award winning and published travel, landscape and bald eagle photographer specializing in artistic, authentic, and memorable landscape and wildlife photography. She travels frequently, lives near the mountains and constantly has a camera in her hand to capture photographs so others can see the beauty of our world.

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