Can weigh up to 13 furious pounds
Bloomberg.com: U.S. — I have a residence in the Pacific Northwest and there are thousands of these birds up near the border with Canada. As the bird population increases there are more and more missing puppies, small breed dogs and kittens. If you have chickens and ducks, good luck. While the bald eagle is a magnificent bird, after seeing dozens of them on any given day, the novelty wears off. Now that they are not endangered I’m wondering what they taste like. My guess: “Tastes just like cat.”
One homeowner says a pair in her back yard devoured a beef roast. Another bald eagle smashed through a lakeside resident’s window and landed in the living room, said Derek Stinson, a biologist with Washington’s Fish and Wildlife Department.
The Puget Sound region surrounding Seattle may be the largest urban area in the U.S. with a significant number of bald eagles, thanks to its long coastline and an annual influx of the birds migrating from Alaska. That makes it an unusual laboratory that could help determine how well the eagles consolidate their gains, Stinson said. So far, the signs are promising.
“They’re adapting, and that’s a good thing,” he said.
Adapting? To being pests?
John, they will do much more good than harm, like controlling bird & squirrel populations.
If you don’t want them smashing a window, put plants & other decorations so they don’t see the reflection of the sky in a window.
I for one, welcome these aviary overlords. Not enough Peregrine falcons in our area.
It’s nice that there still eagles for our children and theirs to see. As far as the eagles being pests, they didn’t invade our land, they were here first. We should give these birds a wide berth and quit infringing on their territory.
Eagle tattooed rednecks won’t eat eagles silly.
Well they are scavengers after all.
Watched one grab one of my neighbors chickens the other day. I cleared the back of my land, now they have a clear shot to swoop in and get her chickens. I never thought of that when I cleared. heh heh.
Now if those damn eagles would just get her rooster that crows all day I’d be a happy camper.
Nice weather we’re having here in the PNW as well, colder and rainier than April.
Dvorak, I challenge you to get some good shots of these things and post them on the blog. 😉
Never in my life have I seen a bald eagle, until I came to Colorado, now the damn things are as thick as pigeons. Kidding aside I have made my Caribbean born and bred cats into domesticated indoor type, to their disappointment. I’ve seen a full grown duck snatched off the river and devoured in minutes.
Eagles love little yappy poodles, chickens, ducks, and kittens. It’s creepy to hear a crying barking dog overhead. (Eagles don’t kill and devour when they have eaglets in the nest.) Eagles also like to hang out at the local garbage dump…and it’s not just for the rats, but to dine on the trash. The increased populations means that more of them are eating WHATEVER they can find. Small dogs and kittens seem to be the main prey. I don’t see that they are a forest hunter…as they have too wide a wingspan, and prefer open areas to fly and hunt. In fact, they nest in dead trees in large clearings. So, the perfect hunting for them is in the urban sprawl.
I see more eagles than pigeons here in the Pacific Northwest, and they are frightening birds of prey. With the destruction of the natural habitat for rabbits and hare, and other “medium” sized animals…(larger than a rat)…and the ease in which they can catch kittens and puppies…they’re rapidly becoming pests.
7. Guess Im going to oil up the old 2 barrel 12 gauge. We’re having barbecue baldy.
(its a joke)
But they’re not a Roc. I haven’t heard of one carrying off a cow.
I live right in them Mississippi River eagle corridor. It’s cool to see them.
If you don’t love eagles you’re a traitor.
🙂
10, What’s to love? The same with Canadian Geese. They are effen pests, I could easily change my mind if they got the little dog down the street.
Adapting? To being pests?
Yes, with alligators in Florida, Bears in New Jersey, Deer in New York, Coyotes in California, Wolves in Montanna etc.
The pest reaction shows why in the year 2100 most mammals will be extinct and most people while plugged into their neuro-receivers will be saying “Good Deal.”
Solilent GREEN
Uhh, #12, you must not live around here (Pacific Northwest). We have coyotes, this badger like thing, lynx, mountain lions, wolves bears, eagles (bald and golden), and huge raccoons to deal with…as predators. We get lots of deer and elk this time of year, too. So, yeah, you mean other places have JUST ONE species to deal with. Wow, that would be easy!
I’ll tell you, though, you really become aware of the food chain when you are in it. (Or in my case, with farm animals and pets.)
However, a lot of wild animals are being displaced by the constant need to build more, newer, bigger. Many of these animals are finding a way to live off of man, and our waste, and our pets, our plants, etc. The more we displace, the more start showing up on our lawns, pawing at our front door (literally for me). And, with the warmer summers, we have more animals coming down from the park lands/mountains behind us..looking for water, food. We need to find a way to balance it…live with it, keep it in perspective. I don’t know of any programs initiated to create “safety bands” for the animals to find shelter, food and water — which would help. Around here we eradicate the places where food for eagles would live….and then complain that they are eating our pets. Seems like leaving more open spaces would make sense….but, $$$$ is god, and who wants to leave good development land go to waste.
No answer…but, I can see taking care of this how we always have…SHOOT IT.
15. Hmm, maybe if I tied the calico cat to a post in the middle of the field……..I could get a good bead, and fire up the grill.
The bald eagle is opportunistic. It will eat anything including carcasses. Is it an accident that such a creature is the symbol of America’s strength? Even the familiar eagle cry that you hear in movies is a lie. That familiar sound is that of a real trooper– the red-tailed hawk.
In NYC, Pale Male, is a resident red-tail hawk perched high on a 5th Avenue window watching over Manhattan. He doesn’t go after dead pigeons. He goes after the healthy ones. He also defends his nest from crows even when he’s out-numbered.
I’ve seen him a couple of times sitting on tree branches. He is some sight to see.
Just shows how the US is going down the drain: The president has been a pest for years and now even the nation’s symbol has become a pest…
G,D&R…
#1
But there is a huge difference between a pigeon sized peregrine falcon and a turkey sized bald eagle.
#5 — I tend to shoot wide angle and only moderate telephoto once in a while. I’d need some long lenses to get great shots, but I’ll keep an eye out.
And BTW
If Pigeons are called flying rats, will bald eagles be called flying coyotes or flying racoons?
Def-con®: Kills
owlseagles dead!They are legal to hunt again…just an FYI.
If you’re going to hunt Bald Eagles I recommend not doing it anywhere near midwestern wisconsin on the Mississippi. We’re pretty protective of our eagles (always have been)… you might not like the response.
Listen to #23 – we Minnesotans know you really have to be very careful of cheeseheads.. 😉
In my area (FL,) the power company puts platforms on all their high towers for the ospreys to nest on. You see an occasional hawk or eagle nesting there also.
For some reason the board refuses to accept my post. Calling it “duplication”. But it never registered it.
I’ll try it again (now this is devotion to an opinion).
The problem isn’t large numbers of eagles. It’s bad management of the endangered species program. I saw a Tv item (on Nightline?) showing some “eagle woman” up in Alaska, who feeds these things all the time. So they hang around the town, in large numbers waiting this hand out. This isn’t part of the eagles’ natural feeding habits. It has made them dependent on human feeding, and artifically boosted their numbers beyond what the natural environment would have. So it’s just the extreme opposite of human interference. Too much of a good thing. Stop her, and others like her, from feeding the eagles. And most of them will either move on or die off. If that’s considered too extreme, then relocate as many of them as feasible. But my bet is that most of them don’t even know how to fend for themselves, thanks to crazy eagle woman. Get her to blow he money on feeding staving children, rather than preditory birds who should be learning to feed themselves. She should be institutionalized or locked up for interfering in the health of an endangered species. But the feds got no balls about stopping her, I’m sure.
I’m very concerned about taking the Bald Eagle off of the endangered species list, and elinimating its federal protection, just because its numbers have been artifically pumped up. It could result in an all out hunting blood bath on all eagles. And it’s curious how these things always seem to happen when there are gun crazy republicians in office. I’ll just bet that Dick Cheney is polishing his rifle, hoping to bag some of them Bald Eagles, on some private range. What was he hunting for the last time he bad himself a lawyer? Mexican border crossers?