Sauvie Island, Oregon...

Anyone who knows me, or knows anything about me, probably knows that I'm a eagle freak. I just think the American Bald Eagle is the single most majestic animal on the planet, not to mention our enduring symbol of freedom to the rest of the world.

 

So, it was with great anticipation that I headed to Sauvie Island, about a half hour northwest of Portland, Oregon. They said (you know, the proverbial "they") that they eagles would be all over Sauvie Island. That, for me, would be a complete and total score.

 

We headed out a bit later than I normally would, and we got to Sauvie Island in a little under an hour. I'm still getting to know the roads up here, and I have to say that some of the interchanges of the Portland freeway system easily rival anything found in a city like Los Angeles. We weaved our way through it all, though and, before long, we were crossing the bridge onto Sauvie Island.

 

Sauvie Island, originally named Wapato Island by Lewis & Clark, is not a big place, at least not in the grand scheme of things. It's 26,000 acres, which is divided up among private homes and farms, preserve and hunting areas. It is, however, one of the largest river islands in the United States, and has a population of around 1,100.

 

We were here, primarily, for eagles. While we didn't see the scores of birds we'd been led to believe would be here, we did see some.

 

Before we got to see them, though, there was business to attend to. To access just about any public spot on the island; well, at least to park your car, you need a permit:

 

A bargain at seven bucks...

 

And, if you think you'll be able to skirt through the day without spending seven whole dollars on a parking permit, allow me to introduce you to Officer Deforrest. It's Officer Deforrest's job to ensure that people like me are in compliance with the rules on the island:

 

She will find you, she will ticket you, and it will cost you a Helluva' lot more than $7.00...

Officer Deforrest was actually very nice, and even gave us some tips as to where we might find some more eagles (those tips didn't pan out, unfortunately). She was also kind enough to alert us to the presence of a "clothing optional" beach. Apparently, she was shocked to find some folks enjoying the brisk morning air out there earlier in the day.

 

When we drove by the beach, indeed, there were nekked people out there. And, no, I'm not going to include a picture, but lest you think I'm making it up about the beach:

 

Yep, even in winter...

 

I've seen Bald Eagles in the wild before; both times in this part of the world. I was in Victoria, BC the first time, when one flew past me over my left shoulder. I had my camera but, as I was walking in the direction it was flying, I ended up with only eagle ass-shots. The other time was on a ferry from Vancouver, BC to Victoria. That time, there were dozens of them in the trees on the banks of the Strait. Unfortunately, they were so far away that, even with my 50-500mm lens zoomed all the way out, I wasn't able to get decent shots of them.

 

Today, I'd hoped, would be different.

 

As we're driving down the road, we don't dare go more than 15 or 20 miles per hour, for fear that we'll miss something. As it turns out, that was a good approach. Off in the distance (well, some distance off the road), there were two aeries in the trees. We found a reasonably adequate place to pull over and park, and walked across a field , nearby to the base of the trees.

 

Big lens don't fail me now.

 

I remember standing there, in the middle of this field, just looking at them. They were amazing, amazing creatures. They stood proud and tall on their branches, as if to let everyone know that they knew they were the baddest animal on the island.

 

I was mesmerized; I truly was. God, they were magnificent. They were grandiose.

 

And they were posing.

Lately, I've been using my Canon 5D with the full-frame sensor. For shooting the eagles, though, I opted for the Canon 40D, with the 1.6X image sensor, and the Sigma 50-500mm. That's a total of 800mm of "reach out and touch someone".

For never really having an opportunity like this before, I'm basically happy with the results:

 

An American Bald Eagle on Sauvie Island...
 

A Bald Eagle perched high in a tree on Sauvie Island...

An American Bald Eagle...

An American Bald Eagle turns a watchful eye on Sauvie Island, Oregon...

Sadly, these would be the only Bald Eagles we would see on this trip. Somehow, though, it was enough. These magnificent animals spent a long, long time on the endangered species list. Being that they're native only to North America, it's not like there are a lot of other places to find them. It was removed, however, from the endangered species list on July 12, 1995, and moved to the threatened species list, where it remained until June 28, 2007. It remains a protected species, however, and it's still illegal to kill one.

Aside from the Bald Eagles, Sauvie Island has a good number of photo ops. Whether it was egrets on a bog or ducks on a lake, opportunities abound:

Mount Hood, well off in the distance, as seen from Sauvie Island...

A lone tree not far off the road...

Virginia Lake...

Sunset on Sauvie Island...

Sunset on Sauvie Island...

A tree and a small pond at the proverbial "end of the road" on Sauvie Island...

Virginia Lake...

Fern and moss grow on everything here...

Mount St. Helens, in Washington, as seen from Sauvie Island. The Willamette River is in the foreground...

Lone trees make good subjects for photos...

Same lone tree, different picture...

Lake Virginia...

Lake Virginia...

Old barns, too, are great photographic subjects...

The setting sun shines through the trees near Multnomah Channel...

Sauvie Island is one of those places which you could easily miss if you weren't looking for it. I hope to get back there before too long, and before the eagles leave, to do some more shooting...