Subject: eagle and crow (fwd)
Date: Jun 14 13:27:21 1996
From: "R. Robinette" - robinet at u.washington.edu


A friend of mine had an interesting observation of a bald
eagle taking a crow (see below). Has anyone else had similar
observations?
Renee Robinette

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 13 Jun 1996 15:02:16 -0700 (PDT)
From: CROCKETT at u.washington.edu
To: robinet at U.WASHINGTON.EDU
Subject: eagle and crow

Bald Eagle Predation on Crow
Haller Lake neighborhood, Seattle, WA 98125
9 June 1996

On 9 June 1996, I observed an apparent predation on a crow by
a bald eagle. I was gardening in the front yard at approx. 6 to
6:30 PM when I heard a crow commotion. I always look to see
what's going on because often those vocalizations are
associated with crows mobbing raptors. I looked up the street
and saw a bald eagle flying from behind the top of a Douglas fir.
It was an adult with pure white head and tail. The eagle
appeared to fly up from between two firs, the only two tall trees
on the west side of 1st Ave NE near the SW corner of the
intersection of N 133rd St and 1st Ave NE, in front of the
entrance to Haller Lake United Methodist Church. The eagle
was flying away from the tree tops carrying a limp black body in
its talons. The victim's tail hung down and was unmistakably
a crow's tail. Judging by the length of the tail in proportion to
the body, the crow was nearly full grown, perhaps a recent
fledgling (although I have not heard any baby crow calls nor
seen any fledglings in the neighborhood yet this Spring). The
body seemed a little smaller than the 3 or 4 crows that pursued
the eagle, but I cannot be sure. The eagle flew rapidly toward
the west and had disappeared in the time it took me to run
from the end of the driveway to the front door to yell, "Bob!
Eagle!!" and back out to the front.

Way cool!

Personal communication to Rene Robinette from Carolyn
Crockett, Ph.D., professional animal behaviorist and amateur
ornithologist, with years of experience observing crows.
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