Eagles for Coffee

[Mika]

I have spent the last two hours watching 6 mature Bald Eagles soaring and fishing outside my window.

I was up early this AM, made a cup of coffee and was going to read the paper and prepare for a client meeting when I saw the first eagle. I have been told that a day is blessed when you see and eagle. Then the second sored by. I put down the paper and watched the two wheel around over the river. I grabbed my binoculars and went out on the deck and quickly realized what was unfolding.

It is migration time. I live at the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers. My condo overlooks a national wildlife refuge, a state park, and a city park. It is a meeting point for the Mississippi flyway. It is also within the first ring of the seven county metro area and minutes away from Lilydales airport, which most of you know as Minneapols international Airport. Amazing things can unfold in the heart of a community like this.

I watched as, at final count, six mature Bald Eagles alternated between soaring and swooping down atempting to catch a fish breakfast. The seem to be in mated pairs which makes sense as they are all mature birds. The pairs seem playfull with eachother bobbing and weaving with eachother as the glide along the bluff. Then the silence of the moment is broken when one of a pair breaks and dives to the river. The partner covers their dive blocking and screaming at the others attracted by the same quary.

All this grandure was stopped when a river barge hauling gravel for upriver construction passed. The tugs large diesel engines making a soft low noise as it pushed the barges up river breaking the smooth glass like river in the process. The eagles break off from their fishing and find pearches on the upper limbs of trees along the river and wait.

There is a developing thread in another part of the forum for the self employed. I think it is a wonderful idea and we should fined more ways to share and support eachother in many facets of our life. For now, I left a message with my client that something has come up and we need to reschedule. I wanted to share with you my morning. Now I must go. Something has come up. Six friends are going fishing again. I don't fish myself but I am going along to watch.

[Braddog]

It seems if you're anywhere near the Mississippi River in Minnesota, you'll see some bald eagles. M1ka, you've got a fantastic vantage point to watch.

I live in the northern 'burbs of the Twin Cities, but frequent roads by the river. I see bald eagles almost any time, very fun to watch, so majestic, strong, and skilled fishers.

[username]

majestic arent they? i saw one take a fish once before, and even though i was far away, it was breathtaking.

congrats on being the right person, in the right place, at the right time.

[Visian]

One of the best rides I've ever had was heading south on Hwy 7 to Haines, AK to catch the ferry. This road heads through the Valley of the Eagles, and oh man, it was everything I could do to keep my eyes on the road!

The Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve (http://www.dnr.state.ak.us/parks/units/eagleprv.htm) was a place I definitely would have liked to camp for a while at... and just sat there and watched.

Ian

[sgborgstrom]

Amazing how widespread the bald eagle range is. I get them hanging out in the treetops around my place here on Bainbridge fairly regularly.

I was on a seakayak trip recently and watched an eagle pick off a string of ducklings one by one to feed it's young. Sad for mama duck but cool to see nonetheless, one of those scenes I'll never forget.
Steve

[Cliffy777]

I believe Bald Eagles are making a good comeback and I believe that is a good environmental story. We have them flying around Lowell now and then. (We have two rivers that converge in our little town.) I have seen some flying, but have not been fortunate enough to catch them fishing.

[Mika]

Well the fishing was okay today. Three of the six caught fish. Considering the kill rate is normally about one in ten tries, not a bad day on the river.

It is facinating to watch. Unlike a hawk folding its wings and diving in on its pray they circle around then with some speed they glide in at a low angle then drop their talons to make the kill. If they miss they flap away a bit clumsily and start again.

It is so calm, so gentle as they glide in. Its wings spread maybe six and a half feet wide over the calm water.

Then a splash of water. You imagine the eagel saying '#$%^# !!! I caught the #$%^@ing thing now I have to get altitude.' They pound their wings with great effort trying to remain above the water while the fish wriggles in the deadly clasp of the strong talons. They struggle skyward like an overloaded B-17 bomber with a big belly pod. The wings take these deep beats, rapidly at first and then deep overpowering strokes. A slight tip of the wing and over to a tree.

For all the struggle to get up in the air, the landing at the crook of a tree is like a precision helicopter manuver. It spreads its wings and almost seems to back stroke as it nests the fish in the crook and then settles on the limb next to it for the feast.

The second catch of the morning was to big for the bird to get up to a tree. It turned and headed for Pike Island flapping like mad while the fish dragged throught the water yet suspended in air for the last 30 feet. Pike Island separates the Mississippi and Minnesota. The island is named for Zebuland Pike who explored the upper Mississippi leaving a year after Lewis and Clark had left on their expedition. The eagle settled on the sandy point totaly uncarring about any history leson and stood on its prize while screatching at the others to stay away when they swooped down for a look.

One of the birds in the tree shared its catch with, what I assume was, its mate. It ate its fill first while it seemed to encourge the mate to catch their own.

The unsuccessful pair settled in the top of two trees just below the edge of the bluff. Their backs to me they seemed to have their sholders hunched up in discust with their lack of success. After a brief rest one of the pair made a half hearted last atempt. Failing it flew down river for a while then turned as it caught a thermal lifting it up so it could glide along the bluff back to its partner. It screemed as it aproached and the partner jumped out of the tree flapping its wings for just a few beats then caught the same thermal. They glided away up the Minnesota River into the wildlife refuge. There are small lakes that I often see eagles fishing on. I hope they had better luck.

Having had their morning meal the successful birds moved to sunny pearches and sat for some time. The morning began to warm and one by one they started to fly in large climbing circles until the once massive birds were smallish lines in the sky that slowly disappeared down river.

I slipped back in to my work life.