The eagle was perched on the same branch where I'd seen him before. Later, as I was leaving, I saw that he'd moved to the other side of his tree...
... and later, as I was running back toward the beach, he swooped across the path in front of me and flew ahead to perch in a tree where I imagined he intended to keep an eye on me. That does not mean that I imagine he likes me. I imagine he dislikes me. I visualize him dive bombing with outstretched talons and ripping off half my face. But the internet assures me that bald eagles never ever ever attack humans, so my visualization does not disturb me. It's just one more thought that flies through my brain and takes up a perch on a branch of a distant neuron.
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38 comments:
That flash at 0:42 isn't lightning or any sort of explosion. It's an entirely intra-iPhone phenomenon.
CEO of Boeing fired today. He's from Northwest Iowa and went to Iowa State.
Merry Christmas.
Given your size relative to the eagle he likely sees you as a threat, not a meal or snack. That look is a wary one.
I had a large owl swoop over my head once, the sound left an indelible impression in my memory.
When I think that Franklin wanted our national bird to be a turkey, I realize that hyper-intelligent people can still have hiccups when it comes to aesthetics.
Raptors are such majestic creatures. The Bald Eagle is both continental and majestic and a greatly apt representation of the USA, especially when it was trying to make itself legitimate to the European powers in its infancy.
When I have some more money I plan to get into falconry. At a presentation a few years ago one of the presenters mentioned approx. 70-80% of young raptors don't make it (this does not include those hit by semis) due to starvation alone. So it isn't an easy life.
@Stevew
"owls"
Hands down the most effective birds of prey on earth. For birds that hunt by day - including eagles - only about 5% of forays result in a kill. For owls the ratio is closer to half. Silent, dark, winged death.
I had only ever seen eagles in Alaska before ten years ago. It’s an amazing story, really. I never saw a wild turkey, despite living in a very rural and wooded area before twenty years ago, now you can see them by the highway in West Palm Beach.
You're probably too large (as in adult human size) for the eagle, but it was eyeballing you to see what you were about. Also letting you know, as if you didn't already, who's space you were walking in. Good thing you were not a small human child. An afternoon in Kyrgyzstan
The Deadliest Catch guys in Ketchikan dock their boats in a cove where flocks of hundreds of bald eagles swarm the boats for fish thrown overboard. If one eagle is scary, wait until swirling flocks come for you. Them Alaska Eagles are flat wild.
In Alaska they are known as “dumpster chickens."
Have the Afghanistan Papers been getting much coverage? Doesn't seem like it.
But the internet assures me that bald eagles never ever ever attack humans
Not true. Skip to attacks #3, #2, and #1. YouTube has other videos documenting eagle attacks. There's also this attack. This one is scary because you can see that the eagle manages to get the child fairly high up in the air before the clothing rips and the child falls back to where his mother can protect him.
If you're running or moving fast (e.g., on skis or a bicycle) you will attract attention from a predator.
I visualize him dive bombing with outstretched talons and ripping off half my face.
In Indiana, peasants walking thru the jungle wear face-masks on the backs of their heads to discourage attacks from tigers, who like to attack from behind. But if an eagle was going for a face maybe he'd be more likely to attack from behind to get the mask-face, so maybe it's not such a good idea.
Bald eagle smacks grizzly bear
@Aunty Trump
Hey whoa whoa, there is nothing more American these days than putting off today what you can do tomorrow and taking a free meal that you otherwise would've paid for. The eagles resent that remark, you racist.
"But the internet assures me that bald eagles never ever ever attack humans""
They must have never met Chuck.
We used to feed bald eagles on our lake when we were out fishing. If we caught a small bass we would whack it on the head to stun it, and toss it in the water. The eagle (or eagles) would swoop in and snag it. Amazing sight and sound.
In my experience, bald eagles are pretty skittish. so he’s probably just keeping an eye on you. Territory and people-threshold thing.
This past year, we’ve seen a two bald eagles, an osprey, a sea hawk, and yesterday, I’m pretty sure a juvenile red tailed hawk hopping around some undergrowth right next to 405. Probably killed something on the ground there?
All you have to do is drive around here.
It’s always a bit of a second glance or maybe stop and stare when you see a bird of prey. Impressive.
"In Indiana, peasants walking thru the jungle"...
Having descended from a long line of Indiana peasants, I'm somewhat surprised I did not know about this.
Don't worry about it. Modern Medicine is so good these days. And a glass eye has a certain panache.
South Bend Indiana, the concrete Jungle where only the tough survive and run for President.
Hands down the most effective birds of prey on earth. For birds that hunt by day - including eagles - only about 5% of forays result in a kill. For owls the ratio is closer to half. Silent, dark, winged death.
From personal observation, Ospreys are more than 50% effective when they dive for fish, and Bald Eagles are more than 50% effective at forcing Ospreys to yield their catch when they decide to steal it.
Which is why the eagle is sitting in the tree disconsolately waiting for the Ospreys to return.
Max TDS by the Governor of NY.
"Gov. Cuomo just vetoed a bill that would have allowed all federal judges to officiate at weddings in New York — saying he can’t stomach the idea that even some of the jurists might be President Trump appointees."
You have Rachel Ray and her book silent spring to thank for the sightings of the bald eagles
The Indianapolis street gang, "The Tigers". Known for attacking only working class Hoosiers and then only from behind. A cowardly bunch. You're doing well to be out of there Meade.
“CEO of Boeing fired today. He's from Northwest Iowa and went to Iowa State.”
Good for the Board of Directors. He needed to be fired due to the 737 Max screwup. It was monumental, and it will cost the company for years to come. I used to ride on 737s several times a week, and knew that they were as safe as any plane out there. Their designated replacement will never regain that reputation. They tried to cheat and got caught. The 737-Max design is aeronautically unstable, and they tried overcoming this in software, but software written by software engineers who didn’t really understand aeronautics. As a result, their biggest competitor took over dominance in that part of the aircraft market. Boeing is going to have an incredibly hard time regain8ng it’s market share there.
What the CEO really needs, for all of the money he lost their stockholders is to be hung until almost dead, cut down, drawn and quartered, then his body parts incinerated. Maybe have his kids join him. At a minimum for the two planeloads of passengers killed by the company’s malpractice and malfeasance. Except that all is now illegal. All they can do is fire him.
"Given your size relative to the eagle he likely sees you as a threat, not a meal or snack."
I know. I don't want to bother him. I don't like thinking he flew from one tree to another because I caused him anxiety. The place is more his than mine and I think about that more than I think about the drama of extended talons and facial rip-offs.
Some species of owl have offset ear canals. In the same way forward-facing eyes provide the ability to gauge distance by cerebral triangulation owls can also audio-locate sound in the same way we can see.
In other words, think of being able to specifically locate a sound dimensionally as well as its precise distance instead of just being able to tell if the sound is coming from the left or the right.
Being able to do that would be so cool.
"Good thing you were not a small human child. An afternoon in Kyrgyzstan..."
Famously fake news. I remember it without clicking.
Love having eagles in the neighborhood. We have them less than a half mile away as they fly, on top of one of the high voltage towers running away from the hydro dam by our house in MT. They mostly hunt down river, since there was most of a century between when the dam was built, and when they added a fish ladder. Still, you can sometimes see the parents sitting in the nest, and more often, the young sitting there, waiting to be fed.
We do have a flock of turkeys though in the neighborhood. Most days the flock migrated through the yards across the street, except that I bought one of those lots two years ago, and may buy another one this winter. That makes them migrating through my yard now. Not sure though who keeps the flock thinned. We really don’t have coyotes around, nor mountain lions. Black bear, but they are mostly out when the turkeys are asleep in their nesting trees. One of the things that I have planned for the large garage I plan to build this summer are night vision cameras so I can see how often black bears, coyotes, etc come by at night.
As for owls, my partner’s previous cat was “owled” at the farm she had with her ex husband about 5 miles down river. It grew up with a German Shepherd, and would sleep on top of the dog a lot. One adventurous owl snatched him from his sleeping post on top of the dog, as the two snoozed on the porch of their house. Two heavy, so the owl ultimately dropped the cat. But the damage had already been done. Her ex wrapped him tightly in a towel, they rushed to the nearest vet, almost 20 miles up river, and the vet stitched the cat back together, for better than $2k. Then, when they got back to Phoenix for the winter, the cat promptly ran away the first chance he had. They are convinced that he was taken in by a family a block or two away, and would occasionally see him in a window there.
With the eagles in the neighborhood, plus some medium sized predators, including possibly coyotes, my partner decided that this cat would be an indoor cat. He really doesn’t like that, making it a constant game, as he tries to bolt for freedom outdoors. Looking, back, I think that he would have been fine. One of our MT neighbors has a pair of cats that keep the surrounding acre or two (including our lot) free of small rodents and small birds. Too late, we had our cat declawed last year when we got up to MT (the vets we found in AZ refused to declaw cats, for some reason).
Many years ago when I still had my TS clearance I had an opportunity to see the mathematical readout of an F-22 and F-35 radar cross-section sans luneburg lenses.
Stunning. They should've named the F-22 bubo-x but sadly owls continually lose in the looks department. Snowy owls - cute as they are - just don't inspire lust in all the little girl eaglets as far as the Air Force is concerned.
Silent. Hidden. Death.
[Bruce Hayden:] The 737-Max design is aeronautically unstable, and they tried overcoming this in software, but software written by software engineers who didn’t really understand aeronautics.
Wrong. The 737-Max is stable throughout the entire flight envelope.
"the vets we found in AZ refused to declaw cats, for some reason)"
That's because it's not really declawing. They call it that because the reality is that the cat's toes are amputated to the first knuckle. In addition to that barbarity, cats need their claws to grab and stretch, this is important to their health and fitness. Buy a scratching post.
This is just amazing. Nature is so beautiful and it is great to see you enjoying it. I think that many people should consider taking nature walks, going into the forest or just visiting the beach in order to see just how amazing nature is. When we get to appreciate nature, we will be more motivated to save and protect it. You are therefore doing a great job by taking these pictures of nature. They serve to remind us of the beauty and tranquility of nature and the need to protect it at all cost.
For Owls
The Shadow
Hearing him
He always he seems to be
Not one place
But everywhere at once
Simultaneously
Sitting on his perch
Ears open for what might be good
No rush to find an answer
Pondering prey that qualifies
As 'could'
In the course of a revolving moon
He's hunter
Power
Wiseman
And buffoon
Other raptors mock him
But he baths not
In their hate
They may caw their laughter
But he'll have their estate.
Eagles are smart. When hunting small mammals two Eagles will team up. One flies around low and shreaks loud to spook the small prey, while his pal is hovering around up high where his sharp eyes can see scurrying prey . He dives on them and kills them.
Hence the Airborne's nickname. Troopers, who usually jump from about 500 feet, call themselves "The Screaming Eagles."
"It's just one more thought that flies through my brain and takes up a perch on a branch of a distant neuron."
Seemingly throwaway lines like this are one of the pleasures of this blog. Thanks!
It's another aquiline sunrise
Starin' slowly 'cross the sky...
maybe the eagle was after (Gany)Meade
In other words, think of being able to specifically locate a sound dimensionally as well as its precise distance instead of just being able to tell if the sound is coming from the left or the right.
Being able to do that would be so cool.
You can't do that? Stand behind me and say something and I can turn around blind and punch you in the mouth. It's not something I use to break the ice at parties, but I've done it three times in my life, all more or less unintentionally.
I think it was Rachael Ray's Kosher Cookbook that saved the Eagles. Or Maybe it was Joe Walsh. The Silent Spring has spurious conclusions made possible by avoiding scientific research. Results have never been duplicated. She suicided several years later. Millions of 3rd world inhabitants succumbed to pestilence. No DDT. There's that. Greta's ancestor?
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