I watched this 2-year-old eagle proudly head toward a tree to perch and eat his fish.
He had the fish, and then, well, he didn’t!
Jordan Lake 2-year-old bald eagle slideshow and photo 10/11/2018
fish
TagJL Neighborhood: Fish! 7 photos 1 video 05-07-2017
The water and wind was rough this morning.
In the early light I could see the bright flash of scales and fins where the water rushed up against the shore.
In the waves was a school of American shad fingerlings chasing food and being chased by the bigger fish who were also looking for food.
Hershey’s challenge
I watched, amazed, as Hershey the smallest male bald eagle on the lake set his talons and took this huge carp.
Hershey weighs about 10 pounds. The common carp weighs at least 2 pounds.
Hershey never got the fish more than 3 feet above the water.
He essentially crashed landed on the shore and flopped over on the fish.
He stood up, jumped all over the carp, and eventually left the carp on the shore.
This is the only time I have seen any eagle take a carp!
silent escape
At this point in the herring gull melee, the fish was the only one with his mouth closed and silent.
The lowest herring gull, on the left, is the one who caught the fish and then dropped it.
Ultimately, the fish won this round, after actually bouncing off the surface of the river and then diving for safety.
missed…
Fish are slippery and hard to hold onto, even when you have sharp talons.
This 2 year old eagle certainly flipped this fish away and behind himself, alas.
On second thought, the fish was probably happy about the outcome of his flight.
osprey family report: catfish breakfast
Catfish is the very early morning breakfast for the osprey fledglings.
This fish was delivered 13 minutes after dad had had his toe bitten
and he is carrying the fish in the foot that had gotten grabbed.
Good to see he had not lost any function in the toe nor drive to feed his offspring.
photo taken July 10, 2015
