White-tailed eagle photography at the Hortobagy

In the middle of nowhere, there is a photo hut, all alone in the Puszta!

Just the right place? Or just a fiasco?

However, within just two hours of getting comfortable, wrapping up warm and getting my equipment ready, before it got light at around 7.30am, the first white-tailed eagles appeared- 3 juvenile individuals perched on a dead tree. Then came the first gulls, followed by the ravens. On closer inspection, a few seagulls had injured feet. One even carried a small metal can that had already grown together on her leg.

Then from about 9 a.m. the white-tailed eagles came, one after the other. A total of 19 individuals came by 11 a.m. 16 juveniles 2-3 years old and 3 adults. I had never seen so many white-tailed eagles in my career as a nature photographer. One adult came from Poland, one from Hungary near the Danube, and one was not ringed, so the origin cannot be determined. 

First experience with the Canon EOS R7 in combination with the RF100-500mm and RF800mm!

It was a cold, foggy day in December, with continuous light rain and a temperature of around 2-4C. It was a challenge to shoot with the new unknown Canon EOS R7. Are the images too dark, too much noise development? One thing can be said, the ISO can be set up to 5000! The camera is very, very fast in combination with the RF 100-500mm, and fast with the 800mm f11. Of course, the 800mm f11 is useless in this weather, but a hit when the weather is clear!