Davenport

Bald Eagles are the best.

I can watch bald eagles all day. Even the sight of one sitting up in a tree is enough for me to pull the car over.

When the Mississippi River freezes in the winter, the eagles congregate at the lock and dam systems to fish the open water. If conditions are right, there can be dozens or hundreds of eagles in one spot.

In the last couple weeks, I visited Lock and Dams 15 (Davenport, Iowa) and 14 (Pleasant Valley, Iowa) where there is unobstructed access to the river’s edge. I packed up the car with a 600mm lens, multiple layers of clothes, plenty of snacks and coffee. On my first visit, the weather was gray and temps were in the teens - lots of eagles, no sunlight. My second visit happened a couple days after the deep freeze began to lift - fewer eagles, but abundant late-afternoon sunshine.

Just as I was about to pack up and head home, the moon began to rise over the dam. I waited another 40 minutes to get one last shot.

Here are my favorites. You can also find prints of my favorite birds in this gallery.

Supermoon and Symphonies: Early Highlights of 2018

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If there's a way to sum up the start of 2018, it's that I photographed some pretty awesome and beautiful things. The year started off with a Supermoon in sub-zero temps. After the feeling returned to my fingers, I drove out to the Mississippi River to watch the bald eagles before concert season picked up again. I spent a dress rehearsal with the Lake Forest Symphony; covered the Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra's final concert before its China tour; and shot the Chicago Philharmonic (with two pianos!). The Northwestern University Jazz Orchestra - with Victor Goines and Don Vappie - blew out the best Mardi Gras tunes north of New Orleans. I shot my first concert for the Harris Theater on the stage of the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, and watched in amazement while pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard performed Ligeti and Beethoven before a rapt audience at the University of Chicago. Fulcrum Point New Music Project closed March with a rollicking performance of music by Wynton Marsalis. Now, on to spring! 

All photos © copyright 2018 by Elliot Mandel. All rights reserved.