Bird of Prey!!!!

[leene_chan]

So yesterday morning I was sitting on my back porch minding my own business when I heard a great noisy fuss on the roof overhead. I thought, "Oh great, the birds are trying to get into the gutters again," and peered out the back window to have a look at the intruders.

As soon as I reached the window, down swooped a terrifyingly large black-brown bird of prey, following a smaller version of its own kind. After a consultation with the internets, I confirmed the identities of the birds:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Eagle

I remember that when I was in junior high we had some people from a raptor rescue visit and show off some of the birds in their care. The golden eagle was one of them. I know that they do live in CT, but my god, what were they doing on my roof? The female was apparently the larger of the two. I wonder if they were getting ready to have sex? O_o...

Compared to the eagles, the red-tailed hawk was quite petite!

I hear these birds have snatched away and eaten people's pets. It's a good thing that Lucas is an indoor-only cat!

On the lighter side, I've noticed something strange going on in my back yard. More sunflower seedlings I didn't plant! The ground beneath our forsythia bush is literally blanketed with them, and the top of our hill is covered with dozens of sprouts. At first I thought that the spent sunflowers I pitched into the brush last year were just reseeding themselves, but then I remembered my failed attempted to set up birdfeeders in specific parts of the yard. Every night the raccoons would empty the seeds onto the ground. I had one feeder hanging from the forsythia bush and another hanging from a pine tree behind the master bedroom. This spring, we swept out some of the fallen needles and dirt from beneath the pine tree and used them to fill in an eroded spot on the hill. Oh my. There were a lot of sunflower seeds in that mix...

Comments

[merrycalliope.livejournal.com]

Wow! I looked at the Wikipedia entry...I had no idea golden eagles lived in our area (Pacific Northwest) as well. Maybe some of the large birds I see that I thought were pre-adult plumage bald eagles are actually golden eagles!

I think even a golden eagle would think twice before trying to pick up Lucas! ;D

[leene-chan.livejournal.com]

They might have been! Sub-adult bald eagles look very similiar to golden eagles, don't they?

Watching the female swoop down from the roof was like watching Batman descend upon Gotham City. She was quite intimidating. XD I think it's funny that the males are so much smaller.

I've heard that golden eagles have carried off bear cubs before. Why do they gotta be so mean?

[twotone]

Oh wow, I'm so envious of your Golden Eagle sighting! I used to volunteer at a raptor rescue when I was in junior high school, and I've had a soft spot for birds of prey ever since. Glad to hear you didn't have to witness anything traumatizing, though. :)

The sunflower seedlings! :D I'm sorry to hear about the raccoon raiders, but at least something pretty has come out of their mischief.

[leene-chan.livejournal.com]

It was cool to be so close, but it was also a little scary! I've often seen giant birds circling the sky on our street but I never was sure just what they were.

It seems that every odd bird that comes into our yard has the same purpose in mind. This morning I saw a robin doing a weird chirping/tail flicking dance on our deck that is apparently what the males do to romance a female. I guess they're all nesting in the park nearby. They only come into my yard to get their freak on and poop. XD

I wonder if I should warn my neighbors about leaving their small dogs outside unattended if there are raptors in the area? I think they'd probably say I was nuts...