Bald Eagles 2019

On the weekend of January 25-27 my wife and I made our yearly visit to North Davenport,  Iowa, to take photos of American Bald Eagles congregating at Lock and Dam #14. It was cold and snowy when we arrived and I thought this lessened the chance for great eagle pics, but that cloudy Friday turned out to be the best day.

Fifteen or so eagles flew in and out of the area, perching in nearby trees or simply flying over the water with an occasional attempt to snag a fish. If one eagle caught a fish, others took note and hastily flew to try to steal the fish away from the hunter. This produced a flurry of activity and the photographers were snapping shots like crazy. I took 500 photos that Friday.

This eagle was about to eat a fish lunch but noticed that uninvited company had arrived.

Eagles, like my Uncle Alvin, do not like sharing, so, also like Uncle Alvin, the eagle gulped down its food as quickly as possible.

 

 The inevitable spat erupted, but the larger eagle held her fish tightly in one talon while sparring with the other eagle. I say "her" because the female eagle is usually larger than the male.

 The fight continued with both birds carefully avoiding injury, after all, it's only a stupid fish.

Guess who the winner was.

        Another eagle (below) later settled on a solitary branch that gave our diner the privacy that made sharing the meal with another eagle almost impossible. By the way, I think this fish was prepared in the French style, with a meuniere butter sauce that made fish guts taste like, well, fish guts.

A close-up reveals the gusto with which the eagle devoured the meal.

Eagles announce their landing with a chirping sound, as though to 

let other eagles know that  they mean no harm.

This eagle flew through the wooded area with a fish held by her talons as she expertly avoided brushing the branches.

 Look closely at this photo and you'll see that this eagle's eyes are covered with a grayish membrane called a "nictitan" that can be used to prevent branches from injuring the eyes. It moves across the eye to protect, moisten and lubricate the eye's surface.

Nothing is more intriguing to me than watching an eagle snare a fish that she spotted from high above the water. This eagle only needed one talon to make the catch.

Eagles use a piercing screech when they need to warn other eagles of territorial rights.

Sunday was blue skies and tolerable weather but not many eagles.

Then I noticed two eagles that I believe were nesting pairs because they peacefully flew in tandem and with a precision that suggested practice.