Interactive tours in Shelby Township draw crowds, photographers to see bald eagles
SHELBY TOWNSHIP, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - Over the weekend, guided interactive hikes in Shelby Township welcomed and observed some of the newest members of the community - bald eagles.
For Joan Bonin, photography is preservation.
"It was the eagles; it didn't have anything to do with photography," says Bonin, who has been documenting eagles through photography for 15 years. "Driving down the road on 28 Mile Road and I saw my first eagle there out on the ice. I was hooked after that.
Bonin remembers vividly that first eagle encounter and each of the thousands of photos she's taken since.
Among her latest photos are the eagles that have recently nested in Shelby Township's Holland Ponds Park.
"Oh, I think it's amazing, I love eagles," says Jerry Allen, who stopped by the park with his wife, Michele.
Community members flocked to the park where Shelby Township naturalists, with the assistance of Bonin, held guided hikes so anyone interested could come see the birds and their nest from a safe distance.
"I collect statues of eagles, books of eagles, so when my wife told me about it, I couldn't resist not coming," Allen said.
Like many of the sightseers, Bonin says the photos being taken, whether it's through a quality lens or not, are helping document their lives, mannerisms and if they're in danger.
"If the eagles get hung up on fishing line, you know, you need to know that and you can only do it through photography. You've got it documented and you can send it to whoever needs to see it," Bonin says.