Don was wondering whether this genus could be offending...

Haven't noticed any halitosis among our H. leucocephalus at the Bird Treatment &
Learning Center, but it could be that the scent of the food we are serving them
overwhelms all else. Still we bless those folks that clean out their freezers
every year for us (and wonder why they catch so many fish they never get around
to eating).

There were some earlier postings on the ability or inability of sea eagles to
release fish they had snagged and that were too heavy to fly off with. From what
I can learn asking around, there's no "locked" position of the talons or leg
joints, but there is a reflex to grip more tightly something that wriggles when
clutched. Apparently this outweighs some birds' desire to stay out of the water.

Chris Maack
Bird Treatment & Learning Center
73210.3124 at compuserve.com