Cold, yet keen for a new aviary perspective

Insulated boots — check

Sweater — check

Insulated coveralls — check

Fingerless gloves — check

Warm hat — check

Spare camera batteries — check

Tripod — check

Long lens — check

Backup camera body — check

Gasoline in the car — check

Eyeglasses — check

Now I’m out the door in search of those birds as I found out that blue heron hang out, too.

I usually head to the Balfour Park, just west of the Klickitat River off of Highway 14. The eagles hang out there, on the sand bar or just up in the air depending on the wind. I personally like shooting even elevation with the birds or down at them. And when they are flying, they will be back-lit.

Otherwise, I like the sun shining on them and different angles of perspective, not them just sitting on the branches in the trees. There are times that they may sit for two to three hours without doing anything and I am there waiting … waiting ... waiting … waiting!

You need a very long lens. Even my 600/f4 with a 1.4 teleconverter is not long enough at times. I used manual focus most of the time.

When there is not enough sunlight and it is still cold, I concentrate on micro images of the frozen water. Noticing what is “deeper” within a “general scene” and play with the focus.

Stephen Datnoff is a professional photographer living in Hood River.