Jean Keene had been feeding bald eagles from her yard on Homer Spit, Alaska, for 30 years. I was interested because it was a local story, but Jean had also become world famous, attracting visitors from Japan, Australia and Europe. I spent three days in this beautiful, snow-covered town. I’d written to Jean from London, so she was expecting me. She’s quite a character — a chain-smoking former rodeo girl cum long-distance trucker in her eighties and always in a bright red wig. She started feeding the eagles when she worked in the town’s fish canning factory and she used to toss them the scraps. Then she began to collect tons and tons of fish and started taking financial donations.

There was some intriguing local politics going on. The town council said that the eagles were becoming so tame that they were becoming a nuisance — one guy was letting his children feed them and they are pretty big birds, after all, with wing spans of up to two metres. But it was a way of life for Jean. She knew some of the eagles, and even had names for them.

Around 200 eagles came to Jean’s yard every winter. I found the scene breathtaking. Normally Jean lobbed the fish over her fence, but I noticed that every now and then one of the more bold eagles would come right up and try and grab the fish as she threw it. I changed my telephoto lens for a wide angle with a view of capturing the eagle, with others in the background against the stunning Alaskan scenery. Jean warned me to stay low — if they fly into your head it can hurt.

I like this shot because it has a bit more atmosphere than the usual identification photos you see of eagles.

In the end the town council outlawed the feeding but made an exception for Jean and gave her a further two years to stop. Just a year later, she died. I hear local people are carrying on the feeding anyway.

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