A Remarkable Tale of Escaping Death: The Bald Eagle’s Incredible Survival Story
An English wildlife photographer had the incredible opportunity to capture a jaw-dropping moment when he witnessed a juvenile bald eagle narrowly escaping the clutches of an alligator in what appeared to be an attack mode.
Chris Holwell, a 54-year-old photographer living near Hull in East Yorkshire, often travels to Florida once a year with his partner, Ellen, in search of unique photo opportunities. During a recent visit to Orlando Wetlands Park, they stumbled upon a remarkable encounter.
“While we were on the new boardwalk at Orlando Wetlands, Ellen pointed out to me that there was an alligator, turtle, and vulture on a small island near the cypress tree nesting area,” Chris shared with The Epoch Times. “Being myself, I was trying to come up with a joke to go with it, but I decided to prop my long lens on the boardwalk railing and take a closer look.”
At first, Chris didn’t pay much attention to the trio, thinking they were common species found in the park. However, to his surprise, he realized that the brown bird with yellow legs was not a vulture but a juvenile bald eagle.
“Naturally, this piqued my interest,” he said. “Suddenly, out of the corner of my viewfinder, I noticed the gator move, and the turtle scurried off into the water. The gator then slid into the water about 10 feet out and lunged at the eagle. I just kept my finger on the trigger, and luckily, I got what I got!”
Chris managed to capture over 60 frames using his equipment, which included a Canon EOS 7D Mark II, a Canon EF 300 F2.8 L Mk1 IS lens, and a Canon 2x Mark III extender, during the bald eagle’s close encounter.
Sharing his best pictures on Facebook, he captioned them with, “Juvenile bald eagle nearly not seeing its next birthday!”
He told The Epoch Times, “Generally, the gators at the park are very subdued, and it’s quite rare to see them in full ‘attack mode.'”
“I know what they’re capable of, especially at this time of year, as they do have young, and some still have eggs,” he added. “So, I’m not sure if the eagle had seen something the adult gator wasn’t happy about.”
After snapping the epic photos, Chris shared them with Orlando Wetlands volunteers Mark and Pat. He also credited the park’s staff for their excellent work in helping people identify species. Shortly after sharing the photos on social media, he received media requests from around the world.
While Chris typically conducts most of his photography expeditions within the UK, he first fell in love with Florida’s diverse wildlife and fantastic guides during a visit 15 years ago.
A photography enthusiast since childhood, he had fun experimenting with his father’s old Zenit camera in the 1970s but truly developed a passion for photography while using a friend’s darkroom in the late 1980s. After starting with a second-hand Minolta 35mm film camera, he eventually upgraded to the Canon EOS series.
In addition to his wildlife photography, Chris works in management for the UK’s largest renewables company. He has a deep love for wildlife and enjoys exploring nature.
“Some days, you can go out and see nothing of interest, especially in the UK, and other days, you don’t know which way to point your lens,” he said.
“Ellen and I feed the local birds and other wildlife; we have hedgehogs in our garden and see them most nights,” he added. “I’ve always wanted to capture a bear, panther, or bobcat in Florida at one of the reserves. I’m sure I might get lucky like the gator and eagle incident one day!”
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