Eagle Sighting?

[Kimmy]

I live in a small town in Ohio. It's not a rural area, but it's on a river. In fact, I'm only about 2 short blocks away from the river in one direction and barely more than a stones throw away from a creek in the other direction. I was crossing the creek's bridge on my way home from work tonight when I saw an unusual bird. It was huge.. much bigger than the hawks and crows I usually see. I couldn't say if it was bigger than a vulture, but it was at least as big. It had a very dark, brown looking body and white tailfeathers. I couldn't see it's head and neck. It sure as hell looked like an eagle from the rear, but I thought it must be some kind of water fowl. I called someone that knows a lot about the area and wild life. I didn't tell him I thought I saw an eagle, but that's what he told me I saw. He said they've been spotted around here periodically in recent years. We had a bald eagle sighting documented with a picture in the newspaper last year. I'll never know for sure, but I'd like to think I really did see an eagle of some kind tonight. Do any of you know anything about birds?

[micron]

The sad thing about your post Kimmy is is sounds as though sightings of bald eagles in the states are rare.We have wedge tailed eagles here and they are very common.I have seen flocks of 30 or 40 up near Wombargo.I will try to get a picture of one on the farm.I saw two sitting in a tree last week.Some farmers shoot and poison them but in our area I reckon they only take dead lambs anyway so I leave them alone.They are gorgeous birds as I'm sure bald eagles are too.

[Sister Zombie]

You very well could have seen a bald eagle or possibly an osprey. Both live near water. There are bald eagles and osprey nests near where I live. I know on more than one occasion when I've gone boating in the little inlets on the northern parts of Escambia Bay, I've sworn I've seen a bald eagle but when I've gotten closer to the nest I realized it was an osprey. I've seen both in northwest Florida, and they're absolutely beautiful.



http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/wildlife/Kids/beagle1.htm

http://www.ohiodnr.com/wildlife/Resources/osprey/osprey.htm

[Kimmy]

Thanks, Sister... I still don't know what it was for sure, but the tailfeathers really stood out... and the size

Micron, I don't know that eagles were ever abundant in this part of the country.

[Pistol Pete]

Kimmy, most likely you did see a bald eagle. They're all over the U.S. We have a lot of them here along the Arkansas River and around several of the lakes. They're pretty neat to watch dive for fish and small children. We also have Golden eagles which are all brown and look like the female bald eagle.
Several years ago I was on a ranch, hunting, and me and another guy watched a hawk dive on an eagle. I guess it was a territorial thing. Anyway, the hawk dived on the eagle twice, and then the third time, the eagle flipped backwards with it's claws up and grabbed the hawk, taking it to the ground. The eagle then went back to gliding around and the hawk stayed dead where it was taken to the ground. :cool:
Too bad we didn't have a movie camera. :(

[Barb101]

Originally posted by Kimmy
Do any of you know anything about birds?

Yeah, they crap a lot :rolleyes: ;)

[Pistol Pete]

Originally posted by Kimmy
Do any of you know anything about birds?

I could write a book, and maybe I will, about what I learned during the three years Herschel lived here (she's the sparrow I mentioned on another thread). Since she was just a couple of weeks old when I found her, I learned every aspect of birdism. She even tried to lay an egg once but it had no shell and she never had PMS again after that. :laugh:

[bearfoot]

Eagles are so cool :)

Pete...Hershel was a cutey...I love sparrows, they're one of my favorite birds.....I think they're and introduced species here but we have a heap of them. Are they native to America? I always thought they came from England.

[Kim Possible]

Hey Kimmy,

My sister lives by Cedar Point in a small town on the lake. When they moved their the neighbors told them about the Eagle 'family' that lives there and they've even seen them soaring above the water every now and then. Strange as it may sound - they ARE in parts of Ohio.

What luck you had in spotting one.

[Kimmy]

Originally posted by Barb101
Yeah, they crap a lot :rolleyes: ;)


Even though I didn't get a chance to examine it's crap, I'm gonna go with what the rest of you said and believe I saw an eagle.. thanks, guys

[cuda]

I saw an eagle (http://bushwhacked.net/forum/showthread.php?postid=107186#post107186) too! Damn thing flew off before I could find something to throw at it. :what:

[Kimmy]

That's it!!!

[wrecker05]

Eagles are becoming more and more prevalent in Michigan, or so I have heard. My parents own some property where I have personally seen eagles in flight and was shown where a pair nested.

Years back it was a big secret where one pair where.The surrounding property owners wanted them to live in peace without DNR/forestry types messing with them.