Whenever I see a Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) in the air, I will try to track it through the lens of my camera. This past Wednesday I was tracking an eagle that was a long way from me at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The eagle was flying quite low, so I figured he was fishing.
I snapped the first photo shortly after the eagle dropped down to the water and grabbed what I thought was a fish. As you can see in the photo, the birds in the immediate area were quite agitated with the eagle flying just above them. When I examined the image on my computer, I realized that the eagle’s prey was probably an American Coot (Fulica americana), not a fish.
The eagle flew low over the water, probably to avoiding alerting any other eagles of its catch. As the eagle flew by me, I was able to capture the second and third images that clearly show the wings of the bird in the eagle’s talons.
The eagle landed in a small tree not far from the shore and proceed to feast on its freshly-caught meal. The bird was wedged in a crook in the tree that helped to steady the prey as the eagle dug into it. If you look closely at the eagle’s beak in the fourth photo, you can see bright red blood from the bird.
When the eagle had partially consumed its meal, it flew to another tree. In the final photo you can see the dangling feet of the prey. Unlike ducks that have webbed feet, coots have lobed feet with long toes and you can see some of those toes in the last image. If you would like to get a closer look at a coot’s feet, check out my December 2014 blog post entitled “Coot feet.”
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Gre
Great wildlife series. Yes, a Coot came to an end however you being there or not it would have happened anyway. Nature is like this. Very nice documentation 👏👏
Thanks, Ted. I am sure that this kind of thing happens all of the time, but it is rare for me to see such activity. I was happy to be in a position to capture so much of the action over an extended period of time.
You presented very well. A tricky subject with some people. There are times you catch the other side of nature but need to set it aside. Thanks for sharing.
Great capture! It’s exciting when you happen to be at the right place at the right time. I spent a good while yesterday watching two big hawks hunt our small pond. Both got lucky within moments of each other, then I got to watch each of them finish off their catch. (Frogs) I know some might think that’s too grizzly, but it’s nature in it’s purest form. I get to see these big birds “miss” their prey a LOT, so it’s really nice to see them succeed every now and then.
Excellent series, Mike! Particularly nice getting those closer images as the Eagle flew by low to the water. This was certainly a time when it paid to be ready just in case. And agitated birds in the water are a sign to stay sharp.
Great series! You were at the right place at the right time and took advantage of it.
Great captures, Mike, even if you can’t help feel sorry for the coot.
Fantastic the drama happened when you were all ready for it! ~and thanks for sharing the fascinating series of photos.
Nature is cruel. Great sequence though.
Wow!