Home
Posted By: Valsdad Eagle at the home place - 01/15/22
Walked out the other morning to toss some trash in the dumpster. Silly me, I was looking at the oil drips from my old tractor on the gravel drive now that the snow and ice is gone, should have been looking up.

All of a sudden something flies off the power pole, heads towards the vacant lot. Jeebus, look at that big white tail! And it's got something in its talons. Mostly we see goldens here, a few baldies going back and forth at altitude between water bodies.

Landed on an unused pole on the vacant lot, close to 100 yds away, gave me time to go get the real camera with a decent lens on it. I "stalked" across the street to behind a tree, cut the distance in half and got a couple of decent shots. This one, if you can zoom on it, shows meat on its bill. I toss scratch out for the quail and pinyon jays, and those dang invasive does come for the hand outs too. Under the pole where it flew from were some feathers that looked suspiciously like a dove. smile

[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]
I do miss seeing so many of them on the refuges over there.

Nice shot.
Posted By: Valsdad Re: Eagle at the home place - 01/15/22
Thanks,

the amount of wildlife/game around here "forced" me to buy a decent camera and lens setup a couple of years back.
Posted By: Blackheart Re: Eagle at the home place - 01/15/22
We've got lots of them around here. Counted 12 of them one day while driving along Cannonsville reservoir and have watched them scoop trout out of the river.
Posted By: Dutch Re: Eagle at the home place - 01/15/22
You can have mine.... was watching the osprey harass the eagle this morning. You can have the osprey, too, no charge..........
Posted By: jaguartx Re: Eagle at the home place - 01/15/22
Originally Posted by Tide_Change
I do miss seeing so many of them on the refuges over there.

Nice shot.


Coulda been a nice ....uh, never mind.

Hide your ducks, dogs, chickens, geese, cats.....
Posted By: 10gaugemag Re: Eagle at the home place - 01/15/22
Originally Posted by jaguartx
Originally Posted by Tide_Change
I do miss seeing so many of them on the refuges over there.

Nice shot.


Coulda been a nice ....uh, never mind.

Hide your ducks, dogs, chickens, geese, cats.....

And fawns.

Turkeys whether big or small.

Cousin has a nesting pair on his place. Turkey hunting has sucked since these white headed buzzards set up camp.


Kind of fitting they are our national bird, always looking for a hand out, opportunistic scavengers, nothing more.



Posted By: Valsdad Re: Eagle at the home place - 01/15/22
Originally Posted by Dutch
You can have mine.... was watching the osprey harass the eagle this morning. You can have the osprey, too, no charge..........


laugh laugh

I know where that's comin' from.

I don't have a fish pond, or I'd be thinkin' like you. wink
Posted By: Valsdad Re: Eagle at the home place - 01/15/22
We worry about the littlest whippet when we see the goldens around.

Chickens, meh. My girls need replaced, egg production has stopped this winter. Already told them if they don't start back up now that the days are getting longer, they're going in the pot to make some chicken and dumplins.
Posted By: Beaver10 Re: Eagle at the home place - 01/15/22
Sonsabitching Bald Eagles!

I shot a double on teal yesterday morning. Both ducks feet up. We had a bald eagle 🦅 hanging in a Douglas Fir across from us all morning, watching, making runs over any ducks we downed.

I’m wading out to grab the first teal closet to shore, eagle takes that as a his cue to “get him some food” it swoops in, wings open, swept back, both legs stretched out with them big yellow footed claws and rakes my second teal into his clutches.

Fly’s back to his tree and devours my bird.

What an ass-hole. 🖕🏾

🦫
Posted By: Valsdad Re: Eagle at the home place - 01/15/22
Fuggin thieves, eh?

Used to watch them swoop in and take fish we released from the ospreys. Some would say that's smarts.
Posted By: 10gaugemag Re: Eagle at the home place - 01/15/22
Originally Posted by Valsdad
Fuggin thieves, eh?

Used to watch them swoop in and take fish we released from the ospreys. Some would say that's smarts.


Or acting like a bunch of darkies.

Let somebody else do the work then come in and steal it.

Too bad they outlawed DDT and the killing of raptors. I understand we need a few but to leave them uncontrolled is just phu.uckin dumb.
Posted By: kingston Re: Eagle at the home place - 01/15/22
We've got a breeding pair here. They're a welcome sight.
Posted By: 1minute Re: Eagle at the home place - 01/15/22
Have had a similar view out our back door this winter. Should be quite a few showing up here in late Feb with the waterfowl
Originally Posted by 10gaugemag
Too bad they outlawed DDT and the killing of raptors. I understand we need a few but to leave them uncontrolled is just phu.uckin dumb.


If it helps any, people who breed roosters for the cockpit generally stake em out individually across an open space, each with their own little doghouse-looking thing. About as perfect a setup for drawing raptors as you could imagine. Those pendejos shotgun hawks all the time, I had a kid show me on his phone the bald eagle they shot, him, his dad and his brother holding out the wings.

Sorta similar, we used to have a poster on here from Canada who bred homing pigeons, he said those guys shot and poisoned peregrines regularly.
Posted By: pullit Re: Eagle at the home place - 01/16/22
very cool, I see them from time to time around here but not often enough that it doesn't excite me
Posted By: Dutch Re: Eagle at the home place - 01/16/22
Originally Posted by Valsdad
Originally Posted by Dutch
You can have mine.... was watching the osprey harass the eagle this morning. You can have the osprey, too, no charge..........


laugh laugh

I know where that's comin' from.

I don't have a fish pond, or I'd be thinkin' like you. wink


It goes both ways. When I was still stocking private ponds, had a guy that bought a load every year. His joy in life was watching the osprey catch the trout from the pond in front of his house.

Takes all kinds. But the money was green. Needless to say, not a local wink.
Posted By: gunzo Re: Eagle at the home place - 01/16/22
I'm 68 and no Eagles in my area my whole life until about 3 years ago. Actually, nobody alive in my area recalls one.

Now we have a few. Kind of exciting actually, even though most folks don't have much use for them.

Just something new & different here. Bears too.
Posted By: Salty303 Re: Eagle at the home place - 01/16/22
Nice picture boss. I'm guessing its the Eurasian collared dove that are invasive down there too? That's what we've got going on up here they're pretty damn stupid not surprised the eagle nabbed one and good on him.

I grew up in a place with very few eagles, like next to none it was a big deal to see one. Then I spent 20 odd years by the ocean and it was the other side of the coin. They've got some nasty traits that can be hard to watch but I kill things to eat too so I can't complain. They rule the skies pretty much.
Posted By: NVhntr Re: Eagle at the home place - 01/16/22
Nice shot Geno!
I get a hawk in the yard on occasion. They love to hit the collard doves under the bird feeder. Makes a good show when he hits them in mid air and the feathers fly.
Posted By: Morewood Re: Eagle at the home place - 01/16/22
Osprey will sit back and just watch you while you fish and suddenly swoop in to steal the fish jerking on your line. I've fought those thieves in mid-air battle trying to take my trout.

Very cool, Valsdad.
Posted By: KenMi Re: Eagle at the home place - 01/16/22
Saw a few eagles terrorizing migrating cranes in November. Couldn't figure out why 2 cranes were flying tight circles way up, seperated from their flock. 2 eagles had them scared $hitless. Finally they made a break and the eagles followed. I think the eagles were just showing their air superiority.
Posted By: CRJ1960 Re: Eagle at the home place - 01/16/22
We had one in East Texas hanging out off and on by the pond the last couple of years. The big blue cats in the pond will have pink scarring on their heads when spawning. When the eagle is around several will look like they were on the wrong end of a straight razor fight. I’m sure he catches his share.
Posted By: 10gaugemag Re: Eagle at the home place - 01/16/22
We have seen them take fish from the neighbors pond next to my cousins.

Pisses the old farmer off.
Posted By: ldholton Re: Eagle at the home place - 01/16/22
Suprising the number of eagles you see here might not see one everyday but 4-5times a week in the winter
Posted By: Valsdad Re: Eagle at the home place - 01/16/22
Originally Posted by Dutch
Originally Posted by Valsdad
Originally Posted by Dutch
You can have mine.... was watching the osprey harass the eagle this morning. You can have the osprey, too, no charge..........


laugh laugh

I know where that's comin' from.

I don't have a fish pond, or I'd be thinkin' like you. wink


It goes both ways. When I was still stocking private ponds, had a guy that bought a load every year. His joy in life was watching the osprey catch the trout from the pond in front of his house.

Takes all kinds. But the money was green. Needless to say, not a local wink.



I can bet they're not popular in the Hagerman and other areas near there.
Posted By: Valsdad Re: Eagle at the home place - 01/16/22
Originally Posted by NVhntr
Nice shot Geno!
I get a hawk in the yard on occasion. They love to hit the collard doves under the bird feeder. Makes a good show when he hits them in mid air and the feathers fly.

Yeah, we have a few marsh hawks (Northern harriers), and Cooper's come through on the migration that like to go after "my" quail and the dang doves. First I've seen the eagle hunting here though.

Guess I can't be outside ALL day!
We have resident bald eagles here, and it is not unusual to see them on deer and elk carcasses along the highways.
The Ospreys are gone for the winter so the Eagles have the rivers to themselves this time of year.
Originally Posted by KenMi
Saw a few eagles terrorizing migrating cranes in November. Couldn't figure out why 2 cranes were flying tight circles way up, seperated from their flock. 2 eagles had them scared $hitless. Finally they made a break and the eagles followed. I think the eagles were just showing their air superiority.


I have never seen it but I have read that a common tactic for birds to escape faster-flying falcons is to climb in a tight circle. Gulls eluding even peregrine falcons this way.

The raptors, being raptors, tend to have a heavier wing loading and many birds can exceed them in a spiraling rate of climb contest, presuming the chase begins where the falcon has no initial height advantage.

When peregrines and merlins do this to regular songbirds the songbird may tire or lose it’s nerve and attempt to dive back down with fatal results
Originally Posted by Beaver10
Sonsabitching Bald Eagles!

I shot a double on teal yesterday morning. Both ducks feet up. We had a bald eagle 🦅 hanging in a Douglas Fir across from us all morning, watching, making runs over any ducks we downed.

I’m wading out to grab the first teal closet to shore, eagle takes that as a his cue to “get him some food” it swoops in, wings open, swept back, both legs stretched out with them big yellow footed claws and rakes my second teal into his clutches.

Fly’s back to his tree and devours my bird.

What an ass-hole. 🖕🏾

🦫

One of the new IRS employees I guess...
Posted By: FatCity67 Re: Eagle at the home place - 01/16/22
Screenshot Big Bear Bald Eagle cam Jan 21'

Color camera BTW.

[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]
Posted By: JeffA Re: Eagle at the home place - 01/16/22
Eagles are a major nuisance along some coastal regions but they provide for easy photo opportunities.
Posted By: Valsdad Re: Eagle at the home place - 01/17/22
Forgot to mention, Wed past I had an appointment over the hill. 4 hr drive there.

4 eagle day, Baldy in a tree, two on a carcass alongside the road. And a golden near the house on a power pole.

Couple of turkeys up near Lake of the Woods too. In the pines with a good amount of snow on the ground.
Posted By: doubleDs55 Re: Eagle at the home place - 01/17/22
I.ve seen em swoop down and yank squirrels right outta the bean fields. Fish right outta the lake, one time was a pretty nice one.

They fly up to a tall tree and start eating, nothing to it. LOL
Posted By: blanket Re: Eagle at the home place - 01/17/22
A bunch of them here, cleaning up deer gutpiles
Posted By: 673 Re: Eagle at the home place - 01/17/22
Originally Posted by jaguartx
Originally Posted by Tide_Change
I do miss seeing so many of them on the refuges over there.

Nice shot.


Coulda been a nice ....uh, never mind.

Hide your ducks, dogs, chickens, geese, cats.....

A Coyote with wings.
Posted By: Kenlguy Re: Eagle at the home place - 01/17/22
Here's one for Dutch

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]
Originally Posted by Beaver10
Sonsabitching Bald Eagles!

I shot a double on teal yesterday morning. Both ducks feet up. We had a bald eagle 🦅 hanging in a Douglas Fir across from us all morning, watching, making runs over any ducks we downed.

I’m wading out to grab the first teal closet to shore, eagle takes that as a his cue to “get him some food” it swoops in, wings open, swept back, both legs stretched out with them big yellow footed claws and rakes my second teal into his clutches.

Fly’s back to his tree and devours my bird.

What an ass-hole. 🖕🏾

🦫

I’ve had this happen.
I’d be pissed about a teal too!
Bluebills; not so much. Pretty damn cool to watch.
© 24hourcampfire