We were supposed to go Bald Eagle “shooting” at a friend’s “special place” early yesterday morning, now that these birds are doing a lot of diving on migrating alewives. But, the fog was so intense (as it is today) that the plan was abandoned. So, we’re posting images of diving eagles from the many in our archives.
Bald Eagles perform several distinctive dives. The most impressive to us is when they are soaring in circles high above a river or other water and spot their prey. They then bank severely, spiral down fast in smaller and smaller circles.
They then pull up to skim the surface of the last few feet of water, thrust their talons straight out at the last moment, and pluck the prey with a splashy “thwack”:
During such dives, they can reach 100 miles per hour and, if you’re close enough, you might hear their killing whistle – the wind whipping through wing and leg “chaps” feathers. (Brooklin, Maine)