This was my first attempt at camera trapping outside my backyard! I’d been observing the resident eagles swoop down the coast in the chilly winter mornings perching quietly, hoping for an unsuspecting duck. There was a bit of a fish carcass on beach, so I set up in the dark to take a chance. Sure enough, this curious juvenile flew in to take a look. By the time DDT was banned in 1972 the breeding populations of eagles in New York  was  down to one pair. After an extraordinary effort by the NYS DEC in 1975 eagles were reintroduced, and are thriving statewide. About ten years ago Long Island got its first two sets of breeding pairs. This image is from my ongoing series “The Re-wilding of Long Island.”