$1.819
I took some time this morning to drive to Winfield MO to watch and photograph the eagles. Last year, I went to the dam at Winfield, and had great success. I had no idea whether that was just dumb luck or if they would be back this year.
It was a foggy day, so the visibility wasn’t the greatest, but sitting in the trees of the Missouri side of the Mississippi River were a half dozen American Bald Eagles, watching the waters for snacks. They are majestic birds, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching them sit, hunt and play around the river.
Unfortunately, the observation stand I was on last year has been somewhat dismantled — the stairs have been removed! That’s the only place where you can see the churn of the river as it passes through the dam, and one of the best views of the eagles hunting. I hope that’s fixed before the season is out, as it’d be great to watch more hunting and less sitting in the trees.
I also took the ferry across to Illinois to see if there were any eagles over there. Last year, the trees were full of dozens and dozens of eagles. This year, though, I only saw one on the Illinois side, and opted to drive around a bit before returning home to Missouri via the ferry.
Today was also the first real run for the Celestron Telephoto lens I picked up a few weeks ago. It’s nice, and the images in the viewfinder look sharp, but I’m finding that the lens shoots a little soft — I noticed that a while back when shooting astronomical targets. I suspect it needs an alignment, and that’s something I might be able to do myself, with a little coaching.
That lens attracted a lot of attention from folks. I was asked if I was a professional photographer. When I said I wasn’t, there were shocked looks on the faces of the questioners, and comments about how I must really enjoy photography as a hobby to spend that kind of money on gear. I even had a question if I had a web site. I’ve got to get some business cards for the photography site, and get some content for sale out there!
All in all, a good day, with lots of successful photography. However, just enjoying God’s gift of the outdoors was plenty!