See Any Eagles?

News reports this week showed that eagles have returned to Elgin; one report showed three of the majestic raptors soaring over the Fox River this week. On they way to a photo shoot, I headed out to the area near the library, just north of the dam, and looked. I saw a wonderfully strong tree, naked of leaves. I saw the usual several gulls. At first, I saw no eagles.

In the Trees . . . and Above

One of the Elgin eagles is seen soaring just above the tree line, the wings stretched out to the limit. In the second image, two eagles are perched on a single tree as seen from across the Fox River.

Eagles on the Fox

A story in Friday's DAILY HERALD sent me out to Elgin on Saturday, along with several dozen others carrying cameras or binoculars, set to see the winter's visiting eagles. A bit of research indicated that the winter eating is best along rivers and near dams where the fish are easier to spot and grab. Alas, the only eagles I saw on the frozen afternoon were a pair soaring high in the blue sky, north of us and not close enough for good detail shots.
A good shoot, though, for the trees and other wildlife, which we will see in the next post. And, hopefully, we will see closeups of eagles on upcoming posts . . . . I am headed back out to Elgin this week!

Leaving Alaska

We boarded Coral Princess in Ketchikan and set sail for Vancouver. It was Saturday evening and the Street Fair was going strong. We were looking forward to the relaxation of a final sea day, not realizing that there would be no sea day. Cruising the Atlantic or the Caribbean, as I have indicated, allows lots of time with nothing to see outside the ship, nothing but ocean and sky and vastness. We remained near the coast and all day Sunday found things to see, boats and fishermen and all sorts of wonderful activity. It put a final wonderful feeling on the entire visit, and one we will never forget.

As the trip began in July and finished in August, I put together a second TRAVELING Magazine cover, featuring Lady Baltimore, Mendenhall Glacier, and an eagle I spotted from Capt. Rob Halston's tour outside Ketchikan. The problem, of course, was choosing the few images to print over the many others that I will never forget. It was tough but it was great fun.

We arrived in Vancouver on Monday morning, got some interesting "morningscapes" as we came in to the dock, and bussed to the airport for the trip home. Next post we will look at the beauty of a city on a Monday in August and we will close the Alaska trip.

Immies Showing Off?

As we approached an island lighthouse, which was quite interesting to see in its own right, we saw that there were dozens of eagles standing on the ground, clustered on the lighthouse itself, or walking on the beach. We had learned that all eagles in Alaska are bald eagles, but the characteristic white head does not come at birth. The immature eagles --- hence the term "immies" -- take up to three years to grow into their adulthood and their majestic look.

As we neared the island, I saw two immies on a rock and could almost hear teenagers talking. "What do you wanna do? . . . I don't know, what do you wanna do? . . . I don't know, just hang out, I guess." We have all heard the script so often. Then the talk was over, wasn't it, as one closed the discussion with "Hey, watch this . . . " I heard the captions in my mind as the shutter was clicking. And later, I was pleased to see that I had caught the tableau. It was a highlight of the day and of the trip.

After docking from Capt. Rob's wonderful tour, we headed back to Ketchikan for a surprising added bit of fun. That is for the next post.