Patrick Booth, Wires (PLACES 2023)

Live Wires - This breeding pair of White-bellied Sea Eagles - Haliaeetus leucogaster reside in a remote region of the Clarence River on the lands of the Yaegl peoples of northern New South Wales. The featured high tension wires that cross the northern arm of the river, supply power to the idillic coastal town of Iluka in Northern NSW . This breeding pair of eagles regularly roost on and around the poles and fly perilously close while doing so. Their wingspan is 2.8 metres and wide enough to touch two wires at the same time which would mean certain death by electrocution. Another example of our wildlife adapting obliviously to human interventions. The four shots show the eagles calling to each other mid flight in and around the wires with that unmistakable honking call they have. These birds generally pair and breed for life and live for around thirty years. All shot handheld from boat. Live Wires - 750mm @ 1/2000 sec f5.6 Iso 800

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.