Beaver Sighting

I've been making regular walks in the neighborhood, passing by the lake, looking for opportunities to photograph the beavers, foxes, and deer that are frequently there. The foxes and deer have been quite shy, running away at first sight or hiding in the shadows in the woods, meaning no photography is possible. But the beavers have been more cooperative.

Coming Right At Me, Tail Faintly Visible

Almost a Mirror Image

I'm not interested in lugging my big lens through the neighborhood so I've been using my 300mm f4. The beavers, deer, and foxes come out at dusk, which means lots of shadows, which means everything is dark. To get anything usable, I'm shooting wide open at about 1/500 sec, and ISO 1600. The dark brown animal in the dark brown water reflecting dark green trees and bushes in the shade means some pretty dim photos.

It's Hot!

Well July has definitely arrived in Northern Virginia. It's hot. It's humid. Even the eagles agree that it's really uncomfortable.

Do Eagles Pant?

There are two eagle nests at the refuge. One of them is now empty. The other had four eagles nearby, two parents (one shown above), and two juveniles. One of the juveniles has fledged. It was perched with its wings spread, seemingly trying to cool down. The other juvenile was down in the nest with only its head showing. The eagle shown here seemed to be panting and not interested in eating or feeding its nest-bound eaglet.