If only I'd got a shot.... what a picture that would have been!!!! Back on July 6, 2011 I became aware of frantic Loon calls way across the lake. I was busy in the yard and just looked over and thought it was a Sea Gull bothering the Loons..... but the ruckus went on and on for 20 minutes and I looked again more attentively and realized the whites I'd seen were the head and the rump of a mature Bawl Eagle.
The spotting scope always being handy in the summer, I zeroed in on the action. The Eagle was making large circles and diving down at the Loons with outstretched talons. This pair of Loons refused to dive and flee. (We've watched this happen with ducks. They would dive and the Eagle would follow them from above and grab them as they finally had to surface.) Only a few inches apart the Loons would rear up, their whole body was out of the water, their feet thrashing the water... thrusting their long heavy duty rasher sharp 4" bill skyward like spears.
I watched as the Eagle made several more attempts before the inevitable happened and contact was made. There was a small puff of feathers, one Loon tumbled for a meter or two and the Eagle, veering wildly almost hit the water. With powerful wind beats, it regained control and flew off out of sight into the trees. It was obvious to me that it was the Loon that had made contact, since the pair put on quite a victory performance for the next couple of minutes. I've seen Loons dance before but never quite like this. A frantic little show of defiance.
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3 comments:
Way to go Loons! Did the little one get off before the lake froze up?
That must have been quite a battle to witness.
Great observation. I read an interesting article about an observation in the BWCA in northern MN a few years ago. A couple of canoeists watched a bald eagle hit a Canadian goose while it was airborne. The eagle had trouble staying airborne with it's catch. By the time the observers landed and walked to the landing zone only feathers were left of the goose.
Last summer my neighbor walked out his front door just as a bald eagle was about to latch onto his twelve pound dog.
Hi George..... No sign of a frozen in Loon so hopefully it got off. It is scary because freeze-up happens so fast.
Hello Art.. every little bit is consumed by the Eagle ... it's really quite amazing. even the bill, the wing feathers and the feet are swallowed. We are always worried about our cat "Bee".
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