For those of you who sent photos when I was gone, rest easy: they’re in the queue. But I’m late, have little time to post, and so we’ll have just a few photos. Stephen Barnard sent images of his eagles Desi and Luci, now raising two chicks, and a landscape:
Fresh fish, home delivery. Bald eagle: Haliaeetus leucocephalus
“What’s for lunch, Mom?”
“Coot.”
“Again!?”I have a not very good photo of Desi bringing an American Coot (Fulica americana) to the nest that morning. I thought they subsisted exclusively on trout and the occasional carrion and road kill, but I was mistaken. I saw them eating a mallard a couple of days ago, and saw mallard feathers scattered about.
Here’s a decent sunset:
I wonder if the eaglets have food preferences? I also wonder if what they are fed affects their preferences as adults. Coot or trout or mammal?
The young look a bit like hand puppets.
We’ll have to take your word for the picture of the coot delivery not being much good but the shot above of the trout being delivered is excellent!
I have eaten coot by the way, many years ago, and my recollection was that it was pretty tasty so I don’t think the chicks should complain! I’d be surprised if there were Bald Eagles that specialised on coot but I’d think that they will oportunistically take a wide range of things. There were some pictures circulating on the www a while ago of an Alaskan Bald Eagle that had caught a gull.
“a not very good photo…”? Desi framed right above Lucy!You were probably trying to get the fish to look more towards the camera, but, It was *great*!
It was the shot with the coot that I didn’t think was good.
I would think coot would taste lots better than a gull. Great pics!
Great photos Stephen! Love the sunset shot, very moody.
Stephen: that sunset is breathtaking!
A descent sunset. Holy sacred manure. That’s fantastic.
The first photo is a frame from a 4K video. Here’s a short clip.
After the second eagle (Desi) appears the timeline is slowed to 50% speed.
Desi appeared at the nest a few minutes later with a partially eaten fish. I’d swear he was showing off in that first pass, but maybe that’s anthropomorphism.
Wonderful stuff, Stephen!