Subject: looking for info on golden eagle nat. hist.
Date: Apr 8 20:02:51 2001
From: Dennis K Rockwell - dennis.rockwell at gte.net


Lisa,

While watching a natural history program of some kind on the tube a few
years ago I saw a short piece of black and white 8 mm home movie film that
was probably shot in the fifties somewhere in the American west.
It very clearly showed a Golden Eagle striking and killing a Pronghorn
Antelope calf (clearly no more than a day or two old). The eagle lost it's
kill, almost immediately, to a pair of coyotes.

A couple of points: # 1 . A newborn antelope calf is much smaller than
the average newborn beef cow calf.
# 2. The antelope calf was alone. No
mother in sight.
# 3. No range cow would leave her
newborn calf alone. She births it, cleans it, feeds it
and sticks close to it and when
she does move on to feed and water, she takes it
with her. Not much opportunity
for an eagle or even a coyote to lunch on her calf.
I've seen a pair of coyotes
cross a pasture containing a herd of old beef cows with
calves - the coyotes had to pay
close attention and keep moving right along to
avoid being greased by those old
cows. They swarmed those two coyotes like
hornets after rock throwing
boys. I still think a Golden Eagle might be capable of
killing a newborn (day old) beef
calf - I just don't think it would get many opportunities.
I very strongly suspect that
most Golden Eagles or coyotes seen feeding on beef
calves are eating carrion. The
calf was probably stillborn or died from other causes.

Dennis Rockwell Kennewick, WA dennis.rockwell at gte.net

One fifth of the people are against everything all the time.
Robert F. Kennedy (1925-1968)


-----Original Message-----
From: Lisa Gardner <gemraticus at yahoo.com>
To: ekridler at olympus.net <ekridler at olympus.net>; nyneve at u.washington.edu
<nyneve at u.washington.edu>; TWEETERS at u.washington.edu
<TWEETERS at u.washington.edu>
Date: Sunday, April 08, 2001 4:40 PM
Subject: looking for info on golden eagle nat. hist.


>Hi Tweets,
>
>I am looking for information on golden eagles and
>their feeding habits, specifically whether or not a
>golden eagle can and will take calves. I know this
>sounds preposterous - I can't imagine a golden eagle
>taking a calf unless it was a day old (even then it
>sounds ridiculous). But I was talking to a friend of
>mine from Mexico whose family owns a ranch down there,
>and they regularly shoot golden eagles, claiming that
>they pose a threat to their livestock.
>
>I would like to locate some papers on the natural
>history of golden eagles and their feeding habits to
>present them to him for some reading enjoyment. If
>someone can give me a lead or two (bonus if it is in
>spanish!!) I would greatly appreciate it.
>
>Much thanks!
>~Lisa
>
>=====
>Lisa Gardner
>gemraticus at yahoo.com
>Olympia, WA
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>Idleness, like kisses, to be sweet must be stolen.
>~Jerome K. Jerome
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
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