In the Field

Bald Eagle 1, Harbour Seal Pup 0. Khutzeymateen Inlet, British Columbia, Canada. June 21, 2024.

Bald Eagles aren't silent birds by any means - you'll often hear them calling from prominent trees or other perches. But this particular Bald Eagle was especially vocal while it feasted on a freshly killed Harbour Seal pup - it seemed to be literally "crowing" over its prize as it straddled it in the early morning sun.

During this spring's Grizzlies of the Khutzeymateen photo tours we noticed something we hadn't commonly seen before - female Harbour Seals with very young pups hauled out on the shoreline. In this particular case we arrived after the actual predation event (and we don't know if it was an eagle or another predator - like a bear or wolf - that killed the pup), so it's possible it occurred when the female hauled up on shore to give birth or simply hauled up on the shoreline with the pup accompanying it. But, regardless of what killed this seal pup, the Bald Eagle was the happy beneficiary of the protein jackpot!

This image was captured using one of my Nikon Z 9's paired with a Z 800mm f6.3 PF VR S super-telephoto lens. While the 800mm PF tends to be overkill for photographing the grizzlies in the Khutzeymateen (simply because our distance to them is usually quite short), it was great to have in hand while cruising the Khutzeymateen Inlet looking for subject matter along the shoreline. As I've been saying since I first starting testing the Z 800mm PF...with its relatively small size and low weight (for an 800mm lens) I find it really easy to use (and simply a whole lot of fun to shoot with).

Here's a larger version (4800 pixel) of my this triumphant Bald Eagle for your perusal:

• Bald Eagle 1, Harbour Seal Pup 0: Download 4800 pixel image (JPEG: 5.2 MB)

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

1. These images - in all resolutions - are protected by copyright. I'm fine with personal uses of them (including use as desktop backgrounds or screensavers on your own computer), but unauthorized commercial use of the image is prohibited by law. Thanks in advance for respecting my copyright!

2. Like all photographs on this website, these images were captured following the strict ethical guidelines described in The Wildlife FIRST! Principles of Photographer Conduct. I encourage all wildlife photographers to always put the welfare of their subjects above the value of their photographs.

3. This image was captured during my Khutzeymateen Explorer exploratory photo adventure in June of 2024. Each year I offer trips into two different parts of the Great Bear Rainforest as well as two tours into the Khutzeymateen Grizzly Sanctuary (to photograph grizzlies, of course!). Details about these trips can be found on the Photo Tours page of this website.

Behind the Camera

Bald Eagle 1, Harbour Seal Pup 0. Khutzeymateen Inlet, British Columbia, Canada. June 21, 2024.

High Efficiency* Compressed RAW (NEF) format; ISO 280.

Nikon Z 9 paired with Z Nikkor 800mm f6.3S. Hand-held from floating Zodiac. VR on in Sport mode. 3D-tracking AF area mode with subject detection set to "Birds" mode.

1/1250s @ f8; -0.3 stop compensation from matrix-metered exposure setting.

At the Computer

Bald Eagle 1, Harbour Seal Pup 0. Khutzeymateen Inlet, British Columbia, Canada. June 21, 2024.

Initial noise reduction and capture sharpening on the .nef (raw) file using the DeepPRIME XD algorithm of DXO PhotoLab 7.7 Elite (using the appropriate lens/camera optical module).

Subsequent adjustments to the adjusted linear DNG file (exported from PhotoLab) and conversion to 16-bit TIFF file (and JPEG files for web use) - including all global and selective adjustments - made using Phase One's Capture One Pro 23. In the case of this image the only global adjustment was an overall contrast tweak (using the Levels tool). Selective local adjustments performed using Capture One Pro's layers and masking tools. In this case numerous small adjustments and minor tweaks were made on 9 separate layers, with most of the tweaks being associated with "exposure balancing" and contrast adjustments (such as adjustments to clarity, highlights, shadows, etc.). High contrast shots like this one almost always require a large number of minor tweaks to get the lighting "right"...and this image was no exception to that rule.

Photoshop modifications included insertion of the watermark and/or text.

Conservation

Bald Eagle 1, Harbour Seal Pup 0. Khutzeymateen Inlet, British Columbia, Canada. June 21, 2024.

Species Status in Canada*: This species is not designated as at risk. The Bald Eagle was listed as "Endangered" in the contiguous US states from 1967 to 1995. In 1995 it was downlisted to "Threatened". On June 28, 2007 Bald Eagles were removed from the list of endangered and threatened species - a true American conservation success story.

The Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is a very large bird of prey with broad wings. Adults possess characteristic white ("bald") heads. It takes Bald Eagles a full five years to attain their characteristic adult plumage (including their nearly pure white head and tail). In the years prior to the development of their adult plumage they are easy to confuse with Golden Eagles. Being very broad-winged Bald Eagles are able to use an energy-efficient flapping-soaring style of flight. While many people like to think of the Bald Eagle as a fierce hunter, in reality they hunt only as a last resort. More commonly they scavenge for their prey. Additionally, they often klepto-parasitize other weaker species such as Osprey, commonly stealing the other species hard-earned prey items. The Bald Eagle is, of course, the national emblem of the United States (Benjamin Franklin argued against this - his preference was for the Wild Turkey).

*as determined by COSEWIC: The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada