[mou] Where Eagles Dare (to float)

[Dan & Sandy Thimgan]

Where Eagles Dare (to float)

After noticing an adult Bald Eagle exhibiting a persistent low,  
circling behavior over Silver Lake (near Battle Lake/Otter Tail  
County), we dutifully crossed the road to see what was going on.

The object of the eagle’s attention was a Coot, apparently unable or  
limited in its ability to fly.  The chase moved from near shore to  
further out in the lake.  The eagle would circle, the coot would  
dive.  Again and again and again.

Finally, the eagle simply landed in the water at the spot where the  
coot last went under.  We counted.  The eagle floated in the dead  
calm lake for nearly two minutes, occasionally lifting its wings out  
of the water.  Then, it was up again.  And, so was the coot.  It had  
surfaced alive near the eagle, but it was unable to sustain its  
underwater time.  Then, finally, not at all.  The eagle claimed its  
prize after just a handful of circling attacks, plucked the exhausted  
coot out of the water and flew low over the water about 100 yards to  
a tree on the lakeshore where it perched, ate, and was hassled by a  
pair of crows who expressed their very great disappointment in the  
whole predator/prey thing.

We’ve read of eagles swimming but had never witnessed this eagle  
placidly floating on the water behavior.  Absolutely amazing, but  
maybe a little more Life and Death action one would care to observe  
before breakfast on a picture perfect morning in autumn?

Dan & Sandy Thimgan

-- 
Thimgans
Battle Lake MN
Otter Tail County

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://moumn.org/pipermail/mou-net_moumn.org/attachments/20081029/af777a45/attachment.html