January of 2019, I began a volunteer position on Vancouver Island. My first morning there I explored a path leading down to the ocean. A bare tree stood alone on the steep incline overlooking the shore. This dead tree was clearly of ecological significance, for alighted on its branch was a Bald Eagle! I had not seen this formidable brown and white raptor in months, and never so close. Over the following weeks I always looked to the tree when it was in sight. Nearly every time an eagle, sometimes two were perched there. I could only imagine the great view of the surrounding seaside from that vantage point. Clearly it was a favourite perch for the hunting and mating eagles whom likely built their nest nearby.
A couple of days later, the sun was out, not a cloud in the sky. This day I was prepared with my camera as I walked to the tree hoping for a sighting. I was fortunate enough to compose a few images of a Bald Eagle alone on the bare tree. The clear blue of the sky with the low winter sun made the eagle stand right out! The small detail of red on the raptor's beak from a recent meal contributed a wildness that I didn’t expect. It was one of the first photographs I took on the island. What a tremendous start! I repeatedly visited the perch with and without my camera throughout the year to see what would be on that bare tree.
