Osprey Web Archive: Riviting Encounter: Eagles Hunting

Riviting Encounter: Eagles Hunting

David Winer

davidwiner@erols.com

Sat, 28 Nov 1998 21:06:19 -0500

This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0027_01BE1B12.F1B3B440 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable This morning (Saturday, November 28) one of the participants on the Wild = Bird Center walk from Potomac Village said, "An eagle, flying!" All = binoculars went to the Bald Eagle over the Potomac about a half mile = above Great Falls. The eagle was circling at about 50 feet. = Immediately its mate joined the rotating parade. Then we discovered = what the exercise was about-- an American Coot was under attack. =20 The coot would dive each time an eagle approached. This behavior went = on for several minutes without any resolution. Then the eagles changed = their tactics. One would make a gliding approach to the coot, driving = it down. The second eagle would be in trail, about five seconds behind, = so that the coot was forced under water continuously for long periods. = Next, the eagles introduced short phases of hovering, Osprey and Harrier = style, to hold the coot down longer. The hapless prey could only stay = on the surface momentarily. Suddenly one of the eagles simply dropped = from about 20 feet to the water and stopped... just floating motionless. = We figured that it had the coot in its talons and was drowning it. = Sure enough, after a couple of minutes, the eagle began what someone = termed a dog-paddle with its wings, heading toward a rock island about = 50 yards away. When it reached the rock and climbed out of the river it = had the coot. Soon, the eagle flew downstream with its prize. Later, across from the viewing platform near the Great Fall Tavern, we = came upon a spectacle of eagle ripping coot into shreds on a log while = the eagle's mate waited in a branch overhead. -- Dave Winer davidwiner@erols.com ------=_NextPart_000_0027_01BE1B12.F1B3B440 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD W3 HTML//EN">

This morning (Saturday, November 28) one of = the=20 participants on the Wild Bird Center walk from Potomac Village = said,=20 "An eagle, flying!" All binoculars went to the Bald = Eagle over=20 the Potomac about a half mile above Great Falls. The eagle was = circling at=20 about 50 feet. Immediately its mate joined the rotating = parade. Then=20 we discovered what the exercise was about-- an American Coot was under=20 attack.

The coot would dive each time an eagle=20 approached. This behavior went on for several minutes without any=20 resolution. Then the eagles changed = their=20 tactics. One would make a gliding approach to the coot, driving it = down. The second eagle would be in trail, about five seconds = behind, so=20 that the coot was forced under water continuously for long = periods. Next,=20 the eagles introduced short phases of hovering, Osprey and Harrier = style, to=20 hold the coot down longer. The hapless prey could only stay on the = surface=20 momentarily. Suddenly one of the eagles simply dropped from about = 20 feet=20 to the water and stopped... just floating motionless. We figured = that it=20 had the coot in its talons and was drowning it. Sure enough, after = a=20 couple of minutes, the eagle began what someone termed a dog-paddle with = its=20 wings, heading toward a rock island about 50 yards away. When it reached = the=20 rock and climbed out of the river it had the coot. Soon, the eagle = flew=20 downstream with its prize.

Later, across from the viewing platform near = the Great=20 Fall Tavern, we came upon a spectacle of eagle ripping coot into shreds = on a log=20 while the eagle's mate waited in a branch overhead.