So I’m sitting here trying to get some work done, with my oldest daughter home sick. A couple minutes ago, she just came running in here yelling about a bald eagle on out back fence - I thought it was just a red tail, which aren’t shy about perching on our fence and spreading gopher guts all over our rose bushes.
So I go to look, thinking I’ll scare it off (because, ewww, gopher guts), and it turns out she was right! A huge frigging immature bald eagle, just perched there - not eating or anything, just chilling on our fence. I tried to sneak up to the sliding door with my phone to get a picture, but it took off before I could get a shot - it kinda looked like this. The wingspan was at least 6 feet wide, and it was amazing to watch this huge thing just take off in slow motion.
We don’t live in a super-rural area or anything - I’m in a subdivision in Forest Grove, on the western edge of the Portland metro area, although to the north of my back fence there’s nothing but farmland, so we see our share of avian wildlife. We’ve even seen baldies flying around, but never one this close. How cool.
Nice! We see them fairly often here (not too far from the Mississippi), and it never gets old. I still stand and watch them until they’re out of sight.
I get a good look at an eagle about once a month give or take. Its always impressive. I had the opposite happen this morning. I saw a massive bird in a tree near our house. So big I was pretty sure it was an eagle but the colors didn’t look right. It finally flew off and it was definitely a hawk and not an eagle. I gotta say thats the biggest damn hawk I have ever seen.
One perched in our walnut tree next to our hot tub a few months ago. It’s one of a mated pair that’s been living in our area for the last 5 or so years, and raising a brood of young 'uns each year. Nice addition to the neighborhood.
Bald eagles had left our general area nearly 100 years ago, and only recently returned. The thrill of seeing them has not yet gotten old for me.
If you were truly the Crown Prince of Irony, the thread title would’ve been followed with
“…and I had just used the last of my DDT stash on the rose bushes, because hey! When was the last time an eagle landed in the garden?”
But yes, our local university has a raptor center, which cares for more than one bald eagle. Those things are majestic when you see them in flight, but their size is mind-boggling when seen up close.
There’s a wetlands/nature preserve area I drive past on my way to work, and a pair of bald eagles took up residence there last summer. Bald eagles hadn’t been seen in my neck of the woods in ages.
I was so engrossed in watching the bird that I almost drove off the road. He was awesome. They’re incredibly huge up close, and I wasn’t even that close!
A couple of months ago, I heard a terrible noise coming from the backyard. I went out on the deck and saw a bald eagle sitting in one of our trees. About ten crows were harassing the eagle in the loudest fashion possible. Apparently, crows hate eagles. Or at least they hate that eagle.
We have a mated pair living in our woods, we provide the occasional chicken or guinea fowl for them. I think we lose a couple birds a month to them in the snowy part of the winter.
I had one fly up off the river bank right in front of my windshield a couple months ago (thank og I didn’t hit him). His claws were the only thing visible below the roof of the car and I swear those things were bigger than my SOs hands.
Oddly, something about that humongous bright yellow claw made me understand how truly huge they are.
I was gardening with a friend a few years ago and an eagle flew through the yard about 15 feet off the ground, obviously hunting. All my awestruck self could do was point and say “. . .eagle”. I was speechless. Wow.
Last summer I was on the Max train crossing the Steel Bridge over the Willamette. Two mature bald eagles flew just over the bridge heading south, using the river as their guide. Midday. Downtown Portland. Wow.
A few years back we were up in the Olympic National Park, up past Lake Quinault. We stopped on the gravel road to view the river running alongside. Just as we were getting out of the vehicle a mature Bald Eagle swopped over us, within an upright arm’s reach over us(!), as it came in over the river, and settled on a huge piece of driftwood out in the middle of the river. (Think a wide rocky, gravelly river, with a small flowing stream.) Wow. Just wow.
That very thing happened to me ages ago when my first car was still practically new, but I didn’t see its claws. It’s WINGS filled the entire windshield though. Crazy.
Apparently the picture of the eagle perched on a grave stone at Fort Snelling National Cemetery has gone viral but, in case anybody hasn’t seen it: http://www.startribune.com/local/127347018.html
Driving across the Roosevelt bridge on Lake Texoma last year I see a bird in one of the cottonwood trees. Hmm… that’s a large bird,no,that’s a Huge bird. Holy Shit that’s a Bald Eagle!
I tell everyone about it and most are like “oh yeah they nest on the river/lake here”
Nobody seemed to understand when I told them that when I was a kid my teachers were like
“Go see a Bald Eagle at the zoo before they become extinct”
