# The eagle got a little too close. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 11, 2017, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eagle-got-a-little-too-close/790964 "2017-07-11T00:04:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eagle-got-a-little-too-close/790964/1 "2017-07-11T00:04:11Z")
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! ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eagle-got-a-little-too-close/790964/2 "2017-07-11T00:51:30Z")
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! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eagle-got-a-little-too-close/790964/3 "2017-07-11T01:20:28Z")
[Bad pic 1](http://s107.photobucket.com/user/llaaksonen/media/Eagle%201.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0) [Bad pic 2](http://s107.photobucket.com/user/llaaksonen/media/Eagle%202.jpg.html?sort=3&o=1) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eagle-got-a-little-too-close/790964/4 "2017-07-11T01:21:55Z")
> [@Sunny\_Daze](#): > > The bald eagles and osprey mostly go after fish, but still - those guys are big and they have impressive pointy bits! Yes. They’re pretty much pescatarians here. But they might not abide by that all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eagle-got-a-little-too-close/790964/5 "2017-07-11T04:26:53Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > [Bad pic 1](http://s107.photobucket.com/user/llaaksonen/media/Eagle%201.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0) > [Bad pic 2](http://s107.photobucket.com/user/llaaksonen/media/Eagle%202.jpg.html?sort=3&o=1) Too bad I can’t see your pictures, Photobucket wants me to disable adblocker on their site. No can do, amigo, no can do. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eagle-got-a-little-too-close/790964/6 "2017-07-11T05:22:00Z")
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… ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eagle-got-a-little-too-close/790964/7 "2017-07-11T14:01:11Z")
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. BTW, you are quite the photographer. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eagle-got-a-little-too-close/790964/8 "2017-07-11T14:53:36Z")
> [@China\_Guy](#): > > Bald Eagles went from exotic to carrion fishing birds after about living in the PNW for 6 months. 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. > [@wguy123](#): > > I love to hear their chattering chirp while walking the beach. The Symbol of America – and they make noises like a squeaky little mouse! 😛 > [@wguy123](#): > > BTW, you are quite the photographer. 😃 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! ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eagle-got-a-little-too-close/790964/9 "2017-07-11T15:26:49Z")
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: ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eagle-got-a-little-too-close/790964/10 "2017-07-11T17:17:19Z")
How on Earth did the eagle get a sole? Those things live on the bottom of the ocean! ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eagle-got-a-little-too-close/790964/11 "2017-07-11T17:26:56Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > How on Earth did the eagle get a sole? Those things live on the bottom of the ocean! 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. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eagle-got-a-little-too-close/790964/12 "2017-07-11T18:46:45Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > 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. ---
**Author:** ![somepumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@somepumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/somepumpkin)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eagle-got-a-little-too-close/790964/13 "2017-07-11T19:03:53Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > [Bad pic 1](http://s107.photobucket.com/user/llaaksonen/media/Eagle%201.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0) > [Bad pic 2](http://s107.photobucket.com/user/llaaksonen/media/Eagle%202.jpg.html?sort=3&o=1) Wow… those are bad pics 😛 Just messin’. That’s cool\* to have one in your backyard. Glad your kitties are safe. \*for certain definitions of cool. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eagle-got-a-little-too-close/790964/14 "2017-07-11T20:04:58Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eagle-got-a-little-too-close/790964/15 "2017-07-11T23:53:29Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > How on Earth did the eagle get a sole? Those things live on the bottom of the ocean! Ignorance fought. One presumed that by “English sole” the OP meant a blown-out brogue or Oxford. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2017, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eagle-got-a-little-too-close/790964/16 "2017-07-12T00:33:18Z")
I’m thinking Creamsicle may have to become an indoor kitty. Or become outdoor eagle poop. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2017, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eagle-got-a-little-too-close/790964/17 "2017-07-12T00:59:46Z")
And all I have in my backyard is the crows that I keep feeding and the tiny bunnies that are eating my garden. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2017, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eagle-got-a-little-too-close/790964/18 "2017-07-12T02:55:45Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > I’m thinking Creamsicle may have to become an indoor kitty. 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. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2017, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eagle-got-a-little-too-close/790964/19 "2017-07-12T20:48:54Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > How on Earth did the eagle get a sole? An interesting theological question, debated at length… > **[Do Animals Have Souls like Human Beings?](https://www.catholic.com/qa/do-animals-have-souls-like-human-beings)** > > Do animals have souls like human beings? Click here and find out what the Catholic Church teaches about animals, the soul, and the afterlife. Oh. Never mind. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2017, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eagle-got-a-little-too-close/790964/20 "2017-07-12T20:54:31Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Too bad I can’t see your pictures, Photobucket wants me to disable adblocker on their site. No can do, amigo, no can do. What adblocker are you using? Because I was able to see the pix with Adblock. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-eagle-got-a-little-too-close/790964.md?page=2)