Juvie Eagle

PrescottPhotog

Hi Everyone,

I went to the RT nest the last couple days by 6 am but Junior is out and about very early so sitting there is worthless. I can hear him off in the distance with his wonderful cry letting mom and dad know where he is at all times. He must be having a ball and now I don't have to get up at 5 am anymore to get to the nest by first light.

So I went to another part of the lake after seeing that Junior had already left the nest yesterday morning. I didn't really expect to see anything and I was just about to leave when this beautiful guy showed up. I'm not sure if it was one of our local baby eagles (our nest had two that survived this year) or whether it was just passing through. There was an adult with it that just soared very high above the lake keeping an eye out while this guy learned to hunt.

I got a couple shots before some hikers came near and he disappeared over the boulders.

I went back out today wondering if he would show up again. Sure enough, at just about the same time as yesterday there he was on the tall boulders overlooking the lake.

I waited hoping he would come my way but he took off across to the other side of the lake and started chasing ducks. All of a sudden I saw him concentrate on a white bird of some type and started chasing it with a vengence (like a midair dogfight). As it turned out it was a seagull (which are very rare around here). He chased and chased but couldn't grasp hold of it in mid air. They went at it for almost 20 minutes and it was amazing to watch. The seagull finally gave up and slammed into the lake looking totally exhausted.

The eagle kept going after the gull (pass after pass) but I think he was afraid to grab on to it while it was in the water. I think he was afraid he would get yanked into the deep lake. The gull was so exhausted he couldn't get out of the water to take off and the eagle was so exhausted he couldn't keep it up any longer either so he flew back to the boulders and sat there for about 30 minutes before flying to a tree where he sat for about 2 hours.

He could have had the gull if he would have gone back but he didn't. I waited to see if he would try again but after waiting more than 2 hours it started lightening so I packed up and left.

I posted some really distant shots (sort of fuzzy) at the below links which will give you an idea of the fight.. I had my 500 + 1.4 but it was just to far of a reach to get anything decent. It was really something to watch, amazing ariel display on both parts, the hunter and the hunted.


#1

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#2


These aren't the best shots but will give you an idea of the battle..
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Eagle & Gull-1
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Eagle & Gull-2
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Eagle & Gull-3
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Eagle & Gull-4
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Eagle & Gull-5
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Eagle & Gull-6

Hikin' Mike

Great series!

dlplumer

Fascinating shots/series/story

NorthernFocus

Great opportunity to see "nature in the raw". He didn't miss much of a meal. Seagulls are pretty scrawny

PrescottPhotog

Hikin' Mike wrote:

Great series!

Hi Mike, Thanks for viewing.

Maestro

Nice images even the ones with the gull. In fact, I like those more because it shows the hunting behavior of this eagle who is obviously just learning.

bhowdy

Wow doesn't even seem to cover it Chris! Excellent series. I really appreciate your sharing these.

Giphsub

Wow! That must have been an awesome struggle to witness. Those first 2 pics are very good!

bfjr

Killer RT posts, as I mentioned

and

Now some Eagles....................... this may be more then
I can take :wow

Good Stuff Chris, good for you

Dogdots

Nice photos Chris -- I hope to see some of this action soon, but our babies have to learn how to fly first

The Gull was lucky that the Eagle was just learning otherwise he would have been a meal. I'm surprised Mom or Dad Eagle didn't swoop down and take it.

BigAl

Very nice set (and story) Chris

PrescottPhotog

dlplumer wrote:

Fascinating shots/series/story

Hi Dan, Thanks for looking. It was hard to see what was going on even through the viewfinder, they kept going down between the brush and bushes. Even the GBH were scattering while these two were going at it.

PrescottPhotog

articblooms wrote:

Great opportunity to see "nature in the raw". He didn't miss much of a meal. Seagulls are pretty scrawny

It was really something to watch but I wish they would do it on my side of the lake just once.. I've been fortunate to get some great shots but it never fails, hawks, eagles, osprey and peregrine, when the hunting action or aerial displays take place it always seems to be just out of reach of a good shot.

The right place at the right time couldn't be more true when it come to photography.

PrescottPhotog

Maestro wrote:

Nice images even the ones with the gull. In fact, I like those more because it shows the hunting behavior of this eagle who is obviously just learning.

Hi Stephen, Thanks for looking. You could see the determination on the eagles part but the inexperience won out. He had the gull down and out but couldn't land the big punch.

The eagles I have observed are very very smart. They sit on the huge boulders (very high above the lake) watching for hours. Their eyesight gives them the capability to pick out the weak or lame. They seem to pass up the strong birds even if they are closer and within grasp. When they launch they know right where they are going, even if they take a round about way to get there. Then BAM, they lock on like a laser and nothing will distract them from the chase. They seem way to focused to just pick a random bird during a fly over.

PrescottPhotog

bhowdy wrote:

Wow doesn't even seem to cover it Chris! Excellent series. I really appreciate your sharing these.

Thanks Bob, One day I will get "the" Wall Hanger from one of these chases and then I can hang up all my camera equipment.. NOT..

PrescottPhotog

Giphsub wrote:

Wow! That must have been an awesome struggle to witness. Those first 2 pics are very good!

Hi Mike, Thanks for the compliments. These guys don't stay around long. I think our lakes (because they are so small, shallow and in the desert) are just a rest stop for a good migratory route. If you're there at the right time it's great, if not they just continue on after resting and refueling.

The problem is we have about 4 small lakes in the area and depending on the amount of hikers, kayakers, small sail boats, dogs, fishermen.. etc., the action can be right over top of you or on the other side of town.

kdog

Love the juive BIF shot, Chris. Your perserverence at the lake is really paying off. Excellent behavioral series as well. it's almost like the seagull was a sport killing for the eagle. Great stuff.

-joel

dadwtwins

that gull is sooooo lucky it still is alive

PrescottPhotog

bfjr wrote:

Killer RT posts, as I mentioned
and
Now some Eagles....................... this may be more then
I can take :wow
Good Stuff Chris, good for you

Hi Stephen, I should have been gone when he showed up but I sat there for about an extra 15 minutes. This happens a lot lately and I'm getting paranoid about leaving because it seems like every time I get all my gear packed up something shows up.. it never fails. It can make a short outing turn into a very long day when you keep hesitating to leave..

PrescottPhotog

Dogdots wrote:

Nice photos Chris -- I hope to see some of this action soon, but our babies have to learn how to fly first

The Gull was lucky that the Eagle was just learning otherwise he would have been a meal. I'm surprised Mom or Dad Eagle didn't swoop down and take it.

Hi Mary, You will know when it is getting time for your eagles to fledge the nest, they practice a lot before making that first leap. Then it's back to the classroom for a whole new learning experience.. first they learn to fly then they learn to hunt.

I have a feeling that the adults don't interfere with the young ones hunting so they don't continue to be dependent on them. This isn't saying they would let them starve though. Last year I saw a whole group of eagles come to the lake (I counted 5). The adults stayed on the boulders all day giving very shrill commands and never moving from their perch, while the young ones made forays over the lake to hone their hunting skills.

The reason I think the eagle passed up the seagull is because of this, I found it a long time ago on the internet..

"Eagles can open and close their talons at will. If an eagle is dragged into the water by a fish too large for the eagle to lift, it is because the eagle refuses to release it. In some cases this is due to hunger. An eagle might drown during the encounter with the fish or if it's unable to swim far enough to reach shore. The eagle can not fly again until it's out of the water, so it uses its large wings to swim. The eagle is a strong swimmer, but if the water is very cold, it may be overcome by hypothermia."

These two were in the middle of the lake, so there was no place to swim to.

Here is the link to the website, there is a lot of great info posted.. http://www.baldeagleinfo.com/ There is a video posted with about 100 eagles flying around.

PrescottPhotog

kdog wrote:

Love the juive BIF shot, Chris. Your perserverence at the lake is really paying off. Excellent behavioral series as well. it's almost like the seagull was a sport killing for the eagle. Great stuff. -joel

Hi Joel, Thanks for viewing. I was surprised the eagles are still around or even passing through, most of the birds have already left the area and I'm back to shooting ducks.. I'm glad they showed up.

PrescottPhotog

dadwtwins wrote:

that gull is sooooo lucky it still is alive

Hi, I totally agree, I thought for sure he was a goner a couple times.