Perched NYC hawk sees bald eagle soar by

AP via Yahoo ^ | 12-27-06 | RICHARD PYLE

[Pharmboy]

A good sign for the season and the new year...

[proudofthesouth]

All I can say is "Wow!"

[pissant]

Who was the starlet that wanted to kneecap the falcon living on her building?

[Mercat]

We have them along our rivers here in Eastern Kansas. I've also seen goldens in the area. It's always a thrill.

[Pharmboy]

The photo showed the eagle as it appears on the national escutcheon — wings spread, head cocked in vigilance, but with what looked like a striped bass in its talons, instead of the flowing ribbon reading, "E Pluribus Unum."

I bet Registered could put E Pluribus Unum in his talons...

[mikrofon]

"Pale Male usually sits there sort of relaxed, but he sat up straight when he saw the bald eagle,"

Even birds have more respect for our national symbols than some Americans do...

[Buck W.]

"...what looked like a striped bass in its talons..."
That's a pretty big fish for an eagle.

[eastforker]

Saw an Eagle last week swoop down for a rabbit, picked it up, flew away and never missed a beat.

[Pharmboy]

...but we're not in Kansas anymore.

Sorry...couldn't resist. We occasionally see them them about 40 miles from NYC, but they're pretty rare actually over the metropolis.

[xcamel]

We have quite a few upstate...

I have 2 pair of nesting ospreys in a swamp flow nearby.. 3 times this summer a young male eagle flew a bit too close to their territory and what a hell of a fight ensued.

The male osprey won every time.

Too bad it's still some kind of a stupid felony to pick up the feathers.. there were plenty left behind.

[Calpernia]

Recommend for a vist:

http://theraptortrust.org/
The Raptor Trust
Millington, NJ

[Cvengr]

I saw a golden eagle just last week. Last time I saw it, it was being dived at by 3 large ravens from about 20 feet above it and missing it by less than a foot. Funny thing is the eagle wasn;t even phased by the commotion, but if the eagle soared back towards the ravens they scattered in a heartbeat.

Whenever looking at hawks and falcons in the past, I wondered if perhaps they weren't an eagle,..that is until you see an eagle. It's silhouette and soar make its presence much more obvious and identifiable. Seems as though when you do see the eagle, there really isn't a doubt about it.

The other birds in the sky also seem to identify them readily, while the eagle is confident enough that not much else really is going to bother it.

[Pharmboy]

Thanks for the link. I'm in northern Morris County (on a lake) and I've seen ospreys, but never an eagle here.

[mrmargaritaville]

Bald Eagles are pretty big birds-I've seen a couple at the National Aviary in Pittsburgh-definety a big bird that I would not want to F with.

[Exit148]

"Whenever looking at hawks and falcons in the past, I wondered if perhaps they weren't an eagle,..that is until you see an eagle. It's silhouette and soar make its presence much more obvious and identifiable. Seems as though when you do see the eagle, there really isn't a doubt about it."

So true! We have hawks all the time, here in our back yard - next to a small patch of woods. (Northern NJ) Last spring an eagle swooped by, fairly close to the ground, and then flew up and away. I knew immediately it wasn't a falcon or hawk, and knew it MUST have been a Bald Eagle -- because of the coloring. I'd seen eagles before, but not that close. Sure enough, my bird books agreed. Exciting!

[raybbr]

That's a pretty big fish for an eagle.

Are striped bass hatched really big?

[Tinian]

Okay birdwatchers--What kind of feathered friend is the cat trying to kill?

[BARLF]

Sounds just like my backyard and hawks are always hunting there. Occasionally see an owl on a fence post watching for supper. I live in S.E. Missouri.

[OldFriend]

Wasn't it Diane Sawyer who complained because she hd to keep her blinds drawn to protect her from people staring up at the birds?

[pissant]

I wished I remebered who it was. Couldv'e been Diane, but sounds more like sumthin katie Couric would do.