May 17,2021
Monday morning I got a tip off the photography forum I frequent that the carp were stranded in a channel somewhere in Montezuma NWR. There were reports of 50-75 Bald Eagles congregating to take advantage of the stranded fish. I booked a room in Seneca Falls, packed my gear, made the 2 1/2 hour drive and got there around noon. I found the channel and the carp but only a pair of eagles perched in a nearby tree. However, there had to be 25 or so Great Blue Herons wading around and spearing fish. I hung around till sunset, hoping that the eagles would be out in greater numbers in the morning. Arriving at 5:30 AM the next morning, I spotted six eagles perched in the same tree. But now, there were probably close to 100 Great Blue Herons lining both sides of the channel and spread out over the dried out marsh off in the distance. I have never seen anything like this anywhere. If an eagle tried to land near the water 2 or 3 herons would cause a ruckus and chase them off. So my eagle trip turned into a Great Blue Heron trip but certainly not a wasted trip.
FLYING-FUR PHOTOGRAPHY 