Subject: [Tweeters] RE: osprey and eagle
Date: Jul 12 17:59:07 2007
From: squeakyfiddle at aol.com - squeakyfiddle at aol.com



A couple of years ago I watched from the back porch as an eagle went after a fish-bearing osprey. The fish lost, but eagle and osprey kept after one another for a couple minutes - great aerial ballet with vocalizations. Their encounter ended when a smaller bird, perhaps a robin, flew directly into the fracas. The osprey peeled off and the eagle tipped upsidedown and snagged the smaller bird in midair.

The best part was my non birding neighbor jumping up and down and shouting "Did you see that!!!".

Catherine Alexander
Lakewood Neighborhood
South Seattle







-----Original Message-----
From: Blake Iverson <coopershwk at hotmail.com>
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Sent: Thu, 12 Jul 2007 12:29 pm
Subject: [Tweeters] RE: osprey and eagle









Raptors are like corvids during the summer and get territorial and defensive
toward other raptors that could harm them, their mate or young as well as
steal their territory. The osprey should have fledglings and they may have
been in the area. The osprey was probably acting out of instinct and that
area may have had their fledglings at one point or was the site of their
nest or a fishing spot. At any rate ospreys are always being harassed by
eagles like skuas harassing puffins so they don't like to mingle. Merlins
are the same way and they love to harass anything big but they do this year
round and not just during the breeding season. What you saw was very common.
Pretty fun to watch to say the least!?
?

?

Blake Iverson?

Bothell, WA?

coopershwk at hotmail.com?
?

_________________________________________________________________?

http://liveearth.msn.com?
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