With the regular National Football League schedule coming to an end, it’s time to consider the proverbial question: Why are Bald Eagles like Rob Gronkowski? As with the Patriots’ famous tight end, the size of Bald Eagles makes it difficult to appreciate their travel speed. The birds can travel horizontally at 30 miles per hour on their long, loping wings, often an eight-foot spread.
The natural speed can become obvious when the 265-pound Gronk is running among linebackers and the 12- to 14- pound Eagles are diving (“stooping”) from great heights. The birds plummet at up to 100 miles per hour on partially folded wings. If you’re close enough, you can hear the wind whip through their feathers, including their leg chaps.
(Brooklin, Maine)