Eagle/Great Blue Heron interaction-V3 Long Distance

[Retief]

I went to a local Heron nesting spot, I believe there are 18-20 active nests at this time. One problem with this spot is distance. It is 136 yards, per my Nikon range-finder, to the most open nests. So this was a great time to try some photos and videos with my new Nikon 1 V3. I had my 400f2.8 AFS-1, TC-17EII combination mounted with the FT-1 adapter. This is an equivalent 1836mm.

This first image is only about 30 yards or so away, a Heron decided to land fairly close. This image is not cropped, minimal processing:

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As I was watching the nests, I heard a real ruckus and when I moved to see the ruckus I found this. The image is heavily cropped, this is about 40% of the original, you will see the original shortly.

Eagle and Heron, up close and personal:

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At this point in time I did not think things were going to go well. If you look closely, which is why I cropped this image, just below the tail of the Eagle you can see what is about to happen.

Here is a link to a video I then took, I screwed up by being in Portrait mode and had to rotate the video. WARNING, while there is no gory scene here, do not watch if you don't want to see the Eagle jumping down on top of Great Blue Heron chicks. The video is short, only 13 seconds.
Bald Eagle vs. Great Blue Heron defending the nest

The Eagle stayed in the nest for about 30 minutes, then it came back up to the top of the tree, again a very deep crop.

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When suddenly this happened:

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I have heard about Eagles preying on Great Blue Herons, but this is the first time I have witnessed this. What I have learned from this, regarding the V3, is that I like it for long-distance video work. I also find that I don't want to crop like mad, but when I can fill the frame, as in the first image, it ain't bad at all.

I will post some more in the next couple of days, videos of feeding of the chicks and such, with the TC-14EII. I find that things work better with that combo as well.

Let me know what you think, both about the behavior as well as the V3. As well, I would like to know how the experience of viewing the video was, this is my first attempt.

Thanks!

 

[crazy]

An extraordinary capture, Bill....well done! Constructive input, the color seems slightly off through my iPad waking eyes, or perhaps simply my morning coffee jolt is needed.

 

[Retief]

Thanks, Don. Are you talking about color on the video or on the stills? Or both? Other than the first full frame image, the other stills look a bit "washed out" to me as well, this could perhaps be partly due to the distance, I'll have to take a look. As I consider these more of a "record shot" I did not spend a lot of time on them.

Most certainly not something I see every day, that is for sure.

 

[crazy]

The 1st still seems over saturated to my eyes, and perhaps a WB adjustment to the stills? The eagle's head appears a bit warm. Of course, if morning or late afternoon, that would come into play too, with the warm tone.

But that's just me.....saturation is such a personal preference......

For sure, "timing is everything" regarding the opportunity you had!

 

[Jerry Green]

Very good behavioral shots. The N1V3 on a long telephoto gets you a photo that would require a lot of cropping with a DSLR. I have used the N1V3 on a Nikon spotting scope for a lighter package with good results. Using it with a Nikon 600 mm plus a Nikon 1.7 teleconverter has also yielded very good results.

 

[Retief]

The 1st still seems over saturated to my eyes, and perhaps a WB adjustment to the stills? The eagle's head appears a bit warm. Of course, if morning or late afternoon, that would come into play too, with the warm tone.

But that's just me.....saturation is such a personal preference......

For sure, "timing is everything" regarding the opportunity you had!

Most of the stills are, in my opinion, at best "record shots", and are pretty big crops to boot. I really did not do much to any of them. The first image, the full frame one, is pretty much as it was. My normal LR processing is to add +10 saturation, which does not do much, but I will take a look. That was a fair bit earlier in the afternoon than the others. I agree with you, by the way, regarding saturation. My preference is to not have things look "over the top", which seems to be the case with a lot these days.

I can't believe I had the timing to get that sequence. In all the years I have watched the Herons, maybe 5 or 6 now at this location, this is something I have never witnessed. I have seen red-winged blackbirds chase Herons off though.

Very good behavioral shots. The N1V3 on a long telephoto gets you a photo that would require a lot of cropping with a DSLR. I have used the N1V3 on a Nikon spotting scope for a lighter package with good results. Using it with a Nikon 600 mm plus a Nikon 1.7 teleconverter has also yielded very good results.

Thanks, Jerry. This is, for me, where the V3 will come in handy. Won't be my "go to" by any means, but those times when I either can't get closer, or the subject won't let me get closer, it will give me the opportunity. I think of how nice this would have been in the Lamar Valley at Yellowstone when the wolves would not come closer than about 500 yards for example.

 

[gorec]

Saw the video, there was a heron in the nest.
DId the eagle eat whoever was in the nest as he stayed there for 30 min. as you mentioned? .

 

[Retief]

Saw the video, there was a heron in the nest.
DId the eagle eat whoever was in the nest as he stayed there for 30 min. as you mentioned? .

If you look really closely, I think you can see 2 chicks in the nest. I am not sure if the Eagle ate them both, but I did not see either the next day, although the nest is quite hidden so I would not see them unless they were standing up tall. I am sure the Eagle ate at least one, as I could see bits and pieces through the camera. Not pretty, but it is nature, without a doubt. I was actually quite surprised when I looked at the time between the video and the shot of the Eagle back on top of the tree.

Thanks for looking and asking.

 

[Louis Champan]

What a story and you captured it very well Bill. Very well done, wish I could have seen this scene. Super job with the V3.

 

[Retief]

Thanks, Louie. I doubt I will ever see this again, part of me hopes not. Yeah, the V3 is certainly finding its place.

 

[Phillydog1958]

Awesome Shots! Thanks for the link from another post.