Winged Wednesday 1/25/2023

Eric Gofreed

Well-Known Member
I had a most incredible encounter with a bald eagle hunting an American coot at Lake Pleasant. Eagles are incredibly lazy and opportunists during salmon runs, road kills, and scraps left over by other predators. They are notorious scavengers. When carrion is scarce they hunt fish, waterfowl, and small mammals. We saw this eagle from a distance dive and remain on the water. When we arrived the coot was not visible but within a few minutes, the coot was behind the eagle. The eagle realized the coot escaped and took to the air. Hoping to recapture the wounded coot, the eagle attacked 4 or 5 more times. Each time the coot avoided the attacks by submerging before the eagle arrived. Perhaps next week I'll post the rest of the story.

Bald eagle-09651-Edit.jpg

Notice the coot behind the eagle

Bald eagle-09600-Edit.jpg

The eagle is watching his prey escape.

Bald Eagle-00122-Edit.jpg

The eagle is banking and preparing for the next attack

Bald eagle-09882-Edit-2.jpg

Full dive staring at the coot

Bald eagle-09891-Edit.jpg

Still in attack mode.
 
Incredible series, Eric. My contribution today comes from a small pond near my house in a community known as Verde Village. It contains lots of ducks and geese. I counted 25 male Wood ducks the other day, American coots, several circles of feeding Shovelers, American Widgeons, two Snow geese, the usual suspects of Mallards, about fifty Canada geese, and five Common Mergansers. What was interesting was that almost all of the wood ducks were paired up. There are lots of domestic ducks and geese mixed in.

The locals feed the birds on a regular basis and yesterday I saw a woman knee deep in birds as she threw out food to birds who are usually a bit skittish.

Here is an image of a pair of Wood Ducks.

Wood Duck pair denoise.jpg
 

Eric Gofreed

Well-Known Member
Incredible series, Eric. My contribution today comes from a small pond near my house in a community known as Verde Village. It contains lots of ducks and geese. I counted 25 male Wood ducks the other day, American coots, several circles of feeding Shovelers, American Widgeons, two Snow geese, the usual suspects of Mallards, about fifty Canada geese, and five Common Mergansers. What was interesting was that almost all of the wood ducks were paired up. There are lots of domestic ducks and geese mixed in.

The locals feed the birds on a regular basis and yesterday I saw a woman knee deep in birds as she threw out food to birds who are usually a bit skittish.

Here is an image of a pair of Wood Ducks.

View attachment 55936
Such a pretty duck. Highest compliments on capturing all the glory of these colorful woodies.
 

Trent Watts

Well-Known Member
I had a most incredible encounter with a bald eagle hunting an American coot at Lake Pleasant. Eagles are incredibly lazy and opportunists during salmon runs, road kills, and scraps left over by other predators. They are notorious scavengers. When carrion is scarce they hunt fish, waterfowl, and small mammals. We saw this eagle from a distance dive and remain on the water. When we arrived the coot was not visible but within a few minutes, the coot was behind the eagle. The eagle realized the coot escaped and took to the air. Hoping to recapture the wounded coot, the eagle attacked 4 or 5 more times. Each time the coot avoided the attacks by submerging before the eagle arrived. Perhaps next week I'll post the rest of the story.

View attachment 55916
Notice the coot behind the eagle

View attachment 55915
The eagle is watching his prey escape.

View attachment 55914
The eagle is banking and preparing for the next attack

View attachment 55917
Full dive staring at the coot

View attachment 55918
Still in attack mode.
What an opportunity Eric. And you captured it so well. Nature in action for sure.
 

Trent Watts

Well-Known Member
I had a somewhat similar experience a few years ago while canoeing in the Churchill River system near Missinippi, Sask. We were canoeing along and I notice an Osprey flying with a fish it had caught. Soon a Bald Eagle came along and harassed it until it dropped the fish. Unfortunately by the time I got my camera out the Osprey was out of the picture.
It took the eagle a couple of dives before it was able to grab the fish.
An opportunist hunter for sure.

Here the eagle misses the fish.
_TCW8089-Edit.jpg



Going up for a second try. You can see the fish on the surface of the water.
_TCW8090-Edit.jpg


Here the eagle has the fish.
_TCW8093-Edit.jpg
 

Trent Watts

Well-Known Member
Incredible series, Eric. My contribution today comes from a small pond near my house in a community known as Verde Village. It contains lots of ducks and geese. I counted 25 male Wood ducks the other day, American coots, several circles of feeding Shovelers, American Widgeons, two Snow geese, the usual suspects of Mallards, about fifty Canada geese, and five Common Mergansers. What was interesting was that almost all of the wood ducks were paired up. There are lots of domestic ducks and geese mixed in.

The locals feed the birds on a regular basis and yesterday I saw a woman knee deep in birds as she threw out food to birds who are usually a bit skittish.

Here is an image of a pair of Wood Ducks.

View attachment 55936
Lovely pair Douglas. I love the water surface as well. So many shades of colouring.
 

Eric Gofreed

Well-Known Member
I had a somewhat similar experience a few years ago while canoeing in the Churchill River system near Missinippi, Sask. We were canoeing along and I notice an Osprey flying with a fish it had caught. Soon a Bald Eagle came along and harassed it until it dropped the fish. Unfortunately by the time I got my camera out the Osprey was out of the picture.
It took the eagle a couple of dives before it was able to grab the fish.
An opportunist hunter for sure.

Here the eagle misses the fish.
View attachment 55960


Going up for a second try. You can see the fish on the surface of the water.
View attachment 55961

Here the eagle has the fish.
View attachment 55962
looks like you were very close too. Superb series, Trent
 
Top Bottom