2014 - First Place Wildlife, Professional Division, New Mexico State Fair

This photograph of a solitary bald eagle was shot on October 29, 2013 on the Chilkat River in Alaska.

Each fall, at the confluence of the Chilkat, Tsirku and Klehini Rivers in Alaska, thousands of bald eagles converge for a late season salmon run as the weather turns cold. Relatively warm groundwater flows into the river from a subterranean glacial alluvial fan, preventing the river from freezing. This coincidence of conditions brings normally solitary eagles to gather in large numbers on the river banks and surrounding region. A complex mix of feeding and interactions among eagles fill the day from sunrise to sunset. This gathering of eagles is a captivating experience.