Deadly Talons

Deadly Talons

 

African Fish Eagles are quite common to see and hear near water in Africa. I had wanted to get a different shot of them for a while but the opportunity just never presented itself. Turns out the odds of getting better photos of them are significantly improved by getting on a boat! While I was in Chobe I took a sunset cruise with Pangolin Safaris which I enjoyed immensely. The atmosphere was magical while the sun was setting – the light and colours were gorgeous and there were no other boats around. We approached an African Fish Eagle calling from its perch – one of the most beautiful and defining noises of the African bush. I took some photos of it calling and then changed my settings to be ready for the moment when it would eventually fly off. The bird kindly obliged. While the overall angle could have been better with more of the head showing I really liked the feet on this photo – showing off the deadly talons.

Techs: Canon 5D Mark III | Canon 200-400L IS f4 with 1.4 Extender @ 560mm | f5.6 | 1/4000s | ISO 400