Bald eagles

[David Kirk]

So I went out for a ride this afternoon..........mid 30's and sunny, no wind, It was very nice. About 20 miles in, on a very rural dirt road I look up and there on a telephone pole is a mature Bald Eagle. Then I notice that there is another just a bit down the road on the next pole. I stopped pedalling and coasted up to the pole. He just looked down at me, looking a bit bothered but not afraid. I sat on the top tube for a long moment while we stared at each other. Finally he called out to the other eagle just down the road. I think he said " do you know this idiot?". The other eagle answered, something I can't repeat in mixed company.

Eagle #one then looked down at me intensely. If you've never been close to one of these creatures you should do it soon. They are huge. Like a golf bag with wings. They have wing spans of over 7'. So he looks down at me like he's pondering me as a meal. A few momnets later he flew off to be joined by the other and it was all over. What a cool deal that was. It really was intimidating to have him looking at me like that.

Dave

[Sandy]

I had a somewhat similar experience yesterday. But they were flying tigers. Talk about feeling scared. :)

Still Shaking Still Scared STill Serotta (Sorry Dave) Sandy

[Sandy]

Bald Eagles are absolutely gorgeous. My brother is extremely knowledgeable about birds of prey and I have seen one up close with him. Birds of prey is a real passion of his. Amazing representative of animal life (the eagle).

Soaring Sandy

[Chief]

Real neat Mr. Kirk Our birds of prey in Texas are buzzards. :crap: At least they dispose of the road kill. :D

[bcm119]

What a cool experience. I believe bald eagles are making a strong comeback in population. At least in the Hudson Valley of New York- there have been increasing numbers of them nesting in the cliffs along the river where my family lives near Poughkeepsie.

[eddief]

Dave Kirk are you getting any of the excess owl action spoken of last night on the national news? I think the action is in Minnisota, but thought it might be out your way too. The frozen north.

[David Kirk]

I don't know of the owl deal...what is happening?

Dave

[H.Frank Beshear]

Living by the Mississippi river we see lots of eagles in the winter. Very cool huge birds, there is a restaraunt where you can eat brunch -lunch and watch the birds catch fish coming through the dam. When the weather is bad up north we see lots of birds. Over 250 one year between the locks. And to think the turkey was almost our national bird. They are fun to watch too, and tasty. :p Frank

[csb]

liberty state park is often a holding area for
snowy owls (they come south caus'a lack of mast,
not extreme weather as many assume)
because there are no trees to speak of on the tundra,
which is what they're used to, when they get to
bucolic jersey city they just stand out in the middle
of the field like a white varigated football.

[gasman]

Bald Eagles also hang here in the Willamette Valley in the winter.One place they hang is Findley Wildlife Refuge near you in Corvallis. They are magnificent birds.
Dave you were lucky to see them so close.

[vaxn8r]

Bald Eagles also hang here in the Willamette Valley in the winter.One place they hang is Findley Wildlife Refuge near you in Corvallis. They are magnificent birds.
Dave you were lucky to see them so close.
Once again gman...never cease to amaze me....

[eddief]

My understanding is that owls are coming down from Canada in numbers never seen before. They normally eat a certain rodent, that for some reason, is in short supply in the north. They are having to come over the border where the food is more plentiful.

[kyledmil]

Used to camp in northern Minnesota at a lake where a pair of bald eagles would fish-could watch them for hours.... A friend and I were canoeing down from Quetico one summer and a bald eagle skimmed the water by the boat, snatched a fish and flew on. That was simply amazing. Have a feeling they'll be drilling for oil up there soon.... Sad.

[weisan]

Dave-pal, you think those "balding" eagles are scary, wait till you encounter a cahoot of "hairless" vultures sitting in the middle of the road feasting on....time for breakfast.
I was going downhill and hitting their spot quick but it looks like they are not bulging....looks like I have to hit the brakes, that sucks, 50 meters, 20 meters, 10 meters, well alright! you win, they flapped their gigantic wings, look at the wing **spans** of those badgers (Keith A, here's your definition!), and landed on the nearest lamp post. Next time, I won't be so lucky. ;)

[grateful]

I also live in Bozeman and am blown away with the wildlife I see on a daily basis. Just the other day i came to a huge deer in my garage eating my horse's grain. We also have an owl that frequents our neighborhood. Absolutely awesome!

[Kevan]

North Korea has their bomb and we're considering knocking Iran's front door to prevent theirs...

Then this subject appears in my day, bless you Dave for bringing up a subject I love.

It's indeed true that the NY metro area, including the Delaware River Gap, is nearly popping eagles, but this is only recent news.

Back in the early 80's eagles here were still scarce stuff, I hadn't seen a baldie in years. A trip out to Seattle and the San Juan Islands gave my wife and I a front row seat. My wife first spied it claiming, "Look at the size of that seagull???" I looked up to the top of a tall pine and there is was... not 50 yards away, being pestered by other birds. I immediately corrected her with the species, but remained slack-jawed.

Many years later... while canoeing down the Delaware, a baldie dropped from the sky and grabbed a trout just 25 yards ahead of me and my son. I was a fool screaming at my son about how cool that scene was... how rare it was. It was sort of lost on him then, but he still remembers the day. The bird flew off downstream, around a bend and perched itself midstream on a rock to enjoy his lunch when we finally caught up to him. We paddled slowly towards him and he would have nothing to do with sharing his meal so off he went, up into the trees and disappeared amidst the branches for some peace. As we rowed past the rock we saw fin-parts of the fish left behind and the fine smell of a sushi bar...

[Richard]

I live near a rather large reservoir that supplies water to NYC. There is a paved dike accross a part of it. Once when riding the dike with 3 others in a 2X2 group, an eagle flew 15 feet above us for about 1/4 mile. Awe inspiring. Eagles are not too rare around here. A wonderful sight.

We also have vultures. Once when climbing at my usual slooww pace, Out of the roadside ditch and from the overhanging trees about 10 vultures took off right beside me. Scared the crap out of me. I was surrounded by them, could see right into there eyes and was in a snow storm of dropping feathers. They are ugly.

[MRB]

A classroom of elementery studets at a school I was working at were flying kites in the spring that they built related to a science project, and three mature Bald Eagles flew up from the a nearby River to see what all the circling kites were "feeding on".

Pretty spectacular creatures that we share this planet with.

[pbbob]

used to see bald eagles in florida. I actually saw an eagle on may way to work one day last year as I drove down the washington beltway.
speaking of turkey vultures at a state park in florida we saw the most incredible flock of them in the trees and in the air at one time, hundreds of them. It was quite a spectacular display even if they are some of the most hideous creatures I have ever seen.
there is a fellow out in the west part of the county I live in that keeps a zebra on his farm. I haven't been out there in a couple of years so I don't know if it is still there. first time I saw it I did a doubletake that's for sure.

[William]

Bald Eagles also hang here in the Willamette Valley in the winter.One place they hang is Findley Wildlife Refuge near you in Corvallis. They are magnificent birds.
Dave you were lucky to see them so close.

Been there, seen them. Truly amazing. Every summer (at least they used too) they had a birds of prey exhibit at the Washington Park Zoo in Portland. You could get close to them and a few would fly over the grassy area where everyone sat...about three feet over your head. :cool:

Owls:
A month or so ago when I arrived home from picking up our children at school, we drove back through our property to turn around. We live on 5 acres and the driveway goes back into the woods for a bit and loops back on itself. As we looped around a large white (either snow or barn owl) owl flew in front of the car and landed in a tree just off the road. We just sat and watched him/her for about five minutes from about 15 yards. Big and beautiful. Not quite as majestic as an eagle though. We see a lot of large Red Tail hawks around here as well.

William

William

[Dekonick]

Lots of bald eagles in Maryland. I see em often when I go fishing on the Chesapeake Bay. There is a nesting pair near my father in law's house.

Pretty birds.

[flydhest]

Dekonick,

Are you calling Sandy an eagle???

[Kevan]

the beak and bald jokes. :D

[davids]

I hear they're Bald Eagles out in Western MA, but they're not in my neighborhood.

While mountain biking, I regularly see deer, who are nowhere near as skittish as I'd been lead to believe, at least where cyclists are concerned. And some friends and I encountered a couple of coyotes one morning, staring down on us from a hillside over the trail.

My best road cycling wildlife encounter happened early this fall, in the wilds of suburban Boston. I was approaching the exit ramp from Rt. 128 (cue the Modern Lovers... sorry...) and had my eye on an SUV that was merging onto the road I was on. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a small dog, trotting out of a clump of trees onto the road. The SUV driver saw it too. We both slowed, watching each other and the dog. Wait a minute - That's no dog! It was a full grown fox, sauntering from one side of the street to the other. The SUV and bike kept their distance and let the fox cross in peace. Driver and cyclist shared an amazed smile, and the fox disappeared...

[David Kirk]

Hey David S,

Did you just reference Jonathan Richman?

Dave

[spiderman]

took a tremendous hit
when my wife and i
spent our 20th anniversary
in juneau, alaska...
...all (major generalization, sorry)
the locals there hated them
...'they're just scavengers
and the worst hunters in the world!'

we have a few eagles in the iowa lakes
and we even saw one on a trip
to lanesboro, mn last weekend...
...the only redeeming experience
on an ice covered, dangerous ride.

[csm]

mmmmm
wings....
with celery and bleu cheese

[davids]

Hey David S,

Did you just reference Jonathan Richman?

Dave
...with the radio on!
:D

[Vancouverdave]

Speaking of birds, somebody did just quote the song "Roadrunner." We saw a number of bald eagles on Lopez Island, WA last fall. Our neighborhood is rural-going-suburban and we still have several small wetlands pockets nearby.
Mid winter to early spring the frogs are sometimes verging on loud and in large numbers. They draw frog connoisseurs--ducks and great blue herons--and keep them around all year. We walk our dogs on a street along a bluff, with one of the wetlands below. One early morning last spring the frogs were absolutely screaming--and immediately silenced when a pair of herons flew across the pond.
I'm near Portland, Oregon. Last winter two friends of mine were taking a night ride around rural Sauvie Island, and were surprised to hear and occasionally see owls diving on prey in the dark. I envy them that ride!

[gasman]

Once again gman...never cease to amaze me....

Yes, I am a font of useless information, which, with $3.50 will buy you a double latte.

[bcm119]

Hey, G-man, that info isn't useless! I've always wondered about Findley NWR, since I ride by it all the time on Bellfountain. I'll have to go for a walk there sometime- eagles are cool.

[Carlo]

There's a pair of bald eagles on the Mississippi River levy just upriver from New Orleans. The alluvium between the river and the levy is referred to as "batture". There are lots of tall 'pines' there and the eagles have been nesting in them for a few years now. The top of the levy is a paved dedicated bike route stretching about 30 miles upstream from New Orleans. I've also seen 'gators, coyote, rabbit, turtle, raccoon, snakes, and an amazing assortment of birds along that route. The prettiest are the Great Blue Heron and Night heron there.

Regards,

Carlo

[jel]

took a tremendous hit when my wife and i spent our 20th anniversary in juneau, alaska... ...all (major generalization, sorry)
the locals there hated them ...'they're just scavengers and the worst hunters in the world!'

I know exactly what you mean! I was in Kodiak, our guide described the eagles as garbage birds! :confused: They all hang around the fish processing plant and feed of the scraps.

Once, while kayaking in British Columbia, I san an Osprey take on a Bald Eagle. The Osprey won!

[don compton]

dear riders,
last week, while riding in our typical feb. weather(low 50, high 63), we were sitting at the benches at lake amador, calaveras co.,ca. a bald eagle was perched on a telephone pole, very close to us. i have seen bald eagles from time to time. but, to see one close up is truly awe inspiring. they are magestic. in california, the central valley, we see golden eagles all the time perched on fence posts. but, the bald eagle is on another level. it took off and it just seemed that something majestic happened. i am not a serious enviromentalist, save the world person, but seeing that bird make you second guess.
don c. :cool:

[SGP]

I recall riding up a hill in Bristol, NY and seeing a Hawk (?) chasing a squirrel around someone’s front yard. The squirrel dashed under a split rail fence to escape.
I was so amazed that I stopped peddling and did not unclip...

[victoryfactory]

Mr Kirk,
So you were out bird watching when you should have been home
bending somebody's seat stays?

You're getting as bad as e-richie!

VF

[David Kirk]

Dear VF,

That's where you are wrong. I was bending the stays over my rock hard abs while doing intervals..........

Tick-tock, time's a wasting,

Dave