Tonka and Creamsicle were outside. The crows were raising a ruckus, and I could hear the screes of a couple of bald eagles. They didn’t appear to have anything in their talons. After the crows drove the eagles off, I went out to look for the cats. Creamsicle came trotting out from the back yard of a house across the street, and Tonka showed up at the front door not long after. Safe! (Tonka’s probably too big for an eagle, but Creamsicle is such a little thing!)
So I go out onto the deck, and I hear munching. I looked up at a branch, the tip of which overhangs the deck. There was one of the bald eagles up there, eating something. :eek: I’d always thought the yard was too closed in to make a good hunting ground for bald eagles, and I’ve always thought the cats wee safe. But here was this friggin’ eagle sitting on a branch usually reserved for the crows! I got a couple of snaps, but my lens is only 18 mm to 55 mm. Also, the autofocus was on, and it was confused by the leaves. I tried to get into a position to get a better shot, and the eagle flew away – dropping the uneaten half of an English sole.
I like bald eagles. I think it’s nice to live a block or so away from a nest. But I don’t want them in the yard!
Yeah, I hear ya. There’s a lake behind the house. We have a large owl (or owls) nesting in the trees between the house and the lake. We also have eagles come by, and the occasional osprey. I worry about the cats and even our small dogs (one is only 6 pounds).
The bald eagles and osprey mostly go after fish, but still - those guys are big and they have impressive pointy bits!
Nice. Bald Eagles went from exotic to carrion fishing birds after about living in the PNW for 6 months. Still, great birds, but honestly they are pretty much garbage fish feeders…
I have some relatives that live on Lummi and the eagles are booming there. No shortage of them. I also have been to Homer, AK where bald eagles are nearly a pest because there are so many. Very cool birds and I love to hear their chattering chirp while walking the beach.
There are a lot that nest along Lake Coredalane over in my neck of the woods.
I’ve been living in Birch Bay for over 13 years, and there’s been a nest a block or two over all that time. They’re a bit of a tourist attraction.
The Symbol of America – and they make noises like a squeaky little mouse!
Yeah, yeah. Seriously, I need a longer lens. Not only would I not wind up with a crop that’s about 1/30th of the frame, but I would be able to get a better position. I really can use a camera!
We’ve wished Creamsicle would stop hanging out on the roof – specifically because there are eagles about. Now we really wish she’d stop hanging out on the roof! :eek:
A lot of flatfish like shallow water, including the classic( Atlantic-side )Dover sole. I see ospreys take flatfish all the time - just pluck them off the bottom of bays in low tide.
Yep - there are always little flounders stuck on the tide flats at low-tide. The gulls, herons and eagles eat well in this region. Low-tide is when you see eagles walking all over out there.
Our bratty little junior cat Dorothy is a rescued stray who lived in a parking lot. She’s probably had at least one close call – she freaked out after hearing an eagle cry on a YouTube video, and had the same reaction to the sound effect of Black Canary’s sonic attack in Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths. Fortunately, I don’t recall her ever being around the TV when The Colbert Report started.
Tried that when she adopted us. She was a stray, so she will not accept being an indoor cat. OTOH, living rough for a couple of years may have instilled some survival skills.
