Eagles Hunting At Millerton Lake

Dale Matson

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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.

Above Is A Two Photo Sequence Of A Juvenile Eagle Catching A Fish