On that rainy day, with the sky shrouded in gray, Mark Smith faced the strong wind as he aimed his camera at the water. He stood on a boat at the treacherous Arran Rapids in British Columbia, Canada, preparing to capture a bald eagle in action, hunting for prey.
Almost in slow motion, a bald eagle oddly circled above the surging waters near Stuart Island, where hake were swept in during their migration in June by powerful tides. The 52-year-old wildlife photographer from Florida, Smith, keenly observed the bird’s unusual behavior, indicating its intent to catch fish.
“I vividly remember seeing it all unfold, knowing a possibly never-before-captured moment was about to happen, at least in this detail,” Smith told The Epoch Times, adding that the scene seemed almost tailored for him to capture the perfect shot.
Standing on the boat with his son, the captain, and several other photographers, Smith witnessed the eagle suddenly dive precisely into the water, splashing and almost submerging itself before rising “like a phoenix.” Smith referred to bald eagles and ospreys as “masters of the sky,” likening watching them hunt to witnessing a live performance by aerial masters.
“It slowly rose out of the water, clutching a fish in its talons, looking at me, water droplets falling off, and then slowly transferring the fish from its talons to its beak, continuing to fly towards me and swallowing the fish whole,” Smith said. “The entire thing happened in about 15 or 20 seconds.”
Smith said that after reviewing his viewfinder, he knew he had captured something “the whole world would want to see.” His son had encouraged him to start his own YouTube channel, guaranteeing it would go viral. Smith said it did attract 227 million views — he called that “crazy.” Even celebrities like Will Smith and Joe Rogan shared it. It was unparalleled footage for the photographer. He mentioned that nothing else could compare to it for him.
He said everything came together — the wind and tides, the skilled eagle making its hunt, the photographer being at the right place at the right time — when you spend a long time seeking and waiting in nature, these situations can happen.
After learning that the hake at Arran Rapids was the world’s second-largest biomass migration, this Floridian flew here for the first time. He noticed that bald eagles also flocked in and there was always a huge feeding frenzy. It was an ideal location for wildlife photography.
The tides swiftly submerged the hake into shallow waters, causing them to bloat due to the sudden decompression. Helplessly floating along bends, they became easy prey for predatory birds. “They are traumatized, so they die rather slowly,” Smith said. “In a way, the flock of bald eagles quickly puts an end to their lives.”
Watch the video of bald eagles preying on hake at Arran Rapids, British Columbia:
(Provided by Mark Smith)
These enlarged, bloated fish attracted fierce competition. Cormorants or other eagles searching for a seafood feast would attempt to steal food from the fishing birds in flight. “They are like advertising this grand meal,” Smith said, drawing inspiration from the fearless determination of the bald eagle squadron.
Year after year, Smith returns to Arran Rapids to capture the life-and-death struggles between birds and fish.
“Every time you see them do these things,” he said, “your own life problems don’t seem so bad.”