Super Rare Bird

[screefer]

Great shot!
What camera did you use?

 

[Happy Enchilada]

 

[boris bubbanov]

What a majestic bird!

I'd settle for some irrupting Snowy Owls right now, down here in the mountains of NC.

I wonder what the chances are, of these eagles colonizing the Atlantic Maritimes?

 

[KevinB]

Truly an unusual bird for the east coast.

Here in South Carolina we've had this same - we think - bird visit the same residential back yard for the last 3 winters.

It's a Bullock's oriole, a western species with - according to eBird - very few sightings on the Atlantic coast.

Not as exciting as a Steller's sea eagle though!

 

[Geoff738]

Very cool. It was in the news here a while back. Meanwhile I can’t seem to spot the Iceland gulls that are supposedly a couple hundred yards from my place.

Cheers,
Geoff

 

[KevinB]

What a majestic bird!

I'd settle for some irrupting Snowy Owls right now, down here in the mountains of NC.

I wonder what the chances are, of these eagles colonizing the Atlantic Maritimes?

I’d say only a very slim chance. Steller’s basically occupy the same ecological niche as American bald eagles (they’re both sea eagles rather than true eagles and as such are mostly coastal, and mostly eat fish) and there are thousands of bald eagles already well established in the Maritimes.

 

[Bones]

I’d say only a very slim chance. Steller’s basically occupy the same ecological niche as American bald eagles (they’re both sea eagles rather than true eagles and as such are mostly coastal, and mostly eat fish) and there are thousands of bald eagles already well established in the Maritimes.

Interestingly though, the Steller's can mate with Bald Eagles, so you never know.

 

[KevinB]

Inside the Amazing Cross-Continent Saga of the Steller’s Sea-Eagle

The journey of the lost Asian bird started more than a year ago. Follow along as birders gather in awe and speculate on its next moves.

www.audubon.org

 

[jackleg]

looks like a turkey buzzard...

 

[tcadam]

Looks like the AP has picked up this story:

Rare eagle seen in Maine, wowing birders, might stay a bit

GEORGETOWN, Maine (AP) — A rare species of eagle that has thrilled bird lovers and baffled scientists since arriving in Maine last month might not be in a hurry to leave. The Steller's sea eagle arrived in Maine in late December after a brief stop in Massachusetts more than a month ago .

apnews.com

Thanks for posting the photo, Bones!

 

[Bones]

It's there now ? The picture is dated 2013. ..

What picture?

 

[rdjones]

What picture?

Note the EXIF date in the screenshot.

 

[Bones]

View attachment 944597
Note the EXIF date in the screenshot.

Internal battery on camera is dead, so every time the main batteries are removed for charging or die, the internal clock resets. You can also see my horrible settings there which are the result of trying to shoot something else seconds before the bird took flight. Which, is always how things work if you dare not be totally dedicated to the big bird that you are there to see.

 

[OmegaWoods]

Internal battery on camera is dead, so every time the main batteries are removed for charging or die, the internal clock resets. You can also see my horrible settings there which are the result of trying to shoot something else seconds before the bird took flight. Which, is always how things work if you dare not be totally dedicated to the big bird that you are there to see.

Great pic, @Bones !

Having goofed up settings all the time is the story of my photographic life.

 

[Bones]

Great pic, @Bones !

Having goofed up settings all the time is the story of my photographic life.

Thanks! It was three hours of waiting around for the bird to fly and then when it flew, we had 30 seconds to try to get it before it was gone. f8 and a faster ISO may have produced a better image but who knows, the light was super harsh at 2 p.m.

 

[Greggorios]

Inspired by your dedication Bones. Keep on keepin’ on.

 

[dkmw]

If pros like you mess up settings, it makes me feel a lot better about all the times I’ve done it. Birds are hard!

 

[OmegaWoods]

Thanks! It was three hours of waiting around for the bird to fly and then when it flew, we had 30 seconds to try to get it before it was gone. f8 and a faster ISO may have produced a better image but who knows, the light was super harsh at 2 p.m.

Ask me about the time I photographed a total solar eclipse without zooming in on the event after practice twenty times exactly what I was going to do. Still got some great shots but they could have been so much better!

It's a great picture, congrats again.