Dale Matson
Click On Photographs To Enlarge
Eagle Looking Over The Coots
Eagles are opportunists about food
and will eat carrion, steal from Ospreys and even each other. Make no mistake
about it however, they are skilled hunters also. They will watch Coots from the
top of a dead tree a half mile away until they decide to make their move.
I was in a good place this morning at the
bottom of one of the Millerton Lake boat ramps. Within sight of the historic
courthouse. Boat ramps are good places to use binoculars to scan the shoreline
and sky. There were also several Coots clustered together just beyond me in the
cool water. Coots are slow and awkward which makes them ‘sitting ducks’ for
eagles, so to speak. Additionally, Coots are small and light which means the
eagles can fly to a good spot to consume their prey.
It was not a good day for
photographs because it was early, overcast and raining. Telephoto lenses need
light for quality photos. However, this is something one expects and accepts as
eagles seem to be more active in these circumstances and they call the shots if
you want the photos.
Today I was able to observe and
photograph the hunt by a juvenile eagle from start to finish. As I watched
there was both an air of excitement and one of sadness to watch these birds in
their death dance above the Coots. For the eagle to live, another animal must
die. You know that one of the Coots will soon be dead. It is really no contest
and no escape for the selected Coot. The eagle’s talons can both crush and
puncture (bleed out) the Coot as the eagle lifts it out of the water.
There was quite a bit of initial circling
above the Coots and the eagle flew back to a sand bar to rest and or reconsider
the options. The eagle then flew to another small cluster of Coots and snatched
one from the water as it flew overhead. The eagle then landed back near me
where it had initially rested and began to pluck the feathers of the Coot.
Before the meal could be finished
another juvenile eagle spotted the action and decided to make a nuisance of
himself as he flew overhead. That was all the other eagle could stand and the
eagle flew off to parts unknown (by me) to finish what was started
My photographs are not the best but
do a fair job of illustrating this story. I used a Sony A7R3 with the 100-400
GM lens plus a 1.4 Teleconverter (560mm). The difficulty is getting enough
light yet using high shutter speed for the BIF.
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