Photographer: Richard Gwin

Camera: Nikon D1X

Lens: 500mm

ISO: 800

Aperture: 5.6

Shutter: 500

Shooting eagle pictures has been sort of a pet project of mine since I started working at the Lawrence Journal-World.

I remember pulling out of the parking lot and seeing two large birds hovering over the former Lawrence Paper Co. and parking to take a look. To my surprise, I saw not only a bald eagle but also a golden eagle. It was a pretty neat experience for a small-town Kansas boy.

During the past 25 years, I’ve done everything from hiding under a white sheet in the middle of winter to just driving up to the birds in a car. This latest picture was shot from the walkway on the Kansas River bridge. It was a cold morning, and the birds were fishing on the only piece of open water on the river, just below Bowersock Dam.

I just followed the birds in flight as they slowly hovered over the water, firing a few frames at a time. With our new digital gear, I was able to tell right away I’d captured some nice frames.