Bald Eagle in Our Yard!

[ysabetwordsmith]

Today we went out to run errands, and a bald eagle flew out of our yard!  :D 3q3q3q!!!  It paced the car for a few seconds, right at eye level, so I got a crystal-clear view of the head and tail lights.  Huge bird.  We saw a redtailed hawk a little farther down the road and it looked so much smaller in comparison. 

The eagle looped around back to the yard, the way our owls do, so maybe we'll see it again someday.  We actually have everything eagles like except for waterfront, and the drainage creeks aren't far away -- eagles have huge territories.  We have tall trees, some with standing snags, and lots of open field to hunt in.  I suspect the raptors are out looking for rodents swarming the fields after harvest.  There's spilled grain everywhere and no cover, so excellent hunting.

This is so awesome.  I am as excited as the time a bird landed on me and sang for a couple minutes.  \o/ 

Comments

[redsixwing]

OH 3q3q3q3q!

[peoriapeoriawhereart]

Kewl!

Early in my tenancy, a hawk decided to judge my yard which was finally free of the large white dog. Not wide enough, since I've got a chainlink fence and these are urban lots. It had to pull up before it was low enough to reach anything on the ground.

That was pretty special being strafe runned by a bird of prey.

Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

We get hawks in the yard periodically. I have seen a strafe! The hawk swooped past the hopper feeder, sparrows exploding everywhere, right past the kitchen window.

Missed every damn one, LOL.

Then the hawk flew up and landed in the nearby walnut tree, preening. "I meant to do that."

Yeah, right. :D

[foliedemars]

Super cool! A memorable event, for sure. :)

[spindle_ella]

That's awesome :D

[earthspirits]

That IS exciting - a beautiful bald eagle! : D

I've never seen one in person, but we do have red tail hawks in our area, and they're wonderful too.

Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

I have seen bald eagles before, but the last time this close was in a zoo. I always watch for them when we travel across the Mississippi River because a fair number of them nest there -- you've got a good chance on any bridge, even right near St. Louis.

[mdlbear]

They are beautiful. I worry about our neighbors' indoor-outdoor cat, though. We keep ours strictly inside.

Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Around here the main threat is coyotes, though.

[cmcmck]

Wonderful!

We get buzzards and red kites near us.

[lb_lee]

Whoa! I had no idea they were even IN that area of the country!

Well ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Bald eagles are more common around the Mississippi than in central Illinois. Here is one range map, but these vary greatly. I know they nest along the big rivers, I've seen their nests on the Mississippi. Kinda hard to miss.

[malinaldarose]

That is so cool! A couple of Saturdays ago, I opened my curtains in the morning to find a hawk sitting on the crossbar for the laundry lines. That was pretty cool, too.

Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

We have red-tailed hawks in the area all the time and in our yard occasionally. They like the tall trees, some of which have bare branches, overlooking smaller trees and the farm fields.

We have had great-horned owls in our yard regularly for the last few years. Used to be barn owls but they are fewer now, and the great-horned owls are more numerous. Also easier to spot and hear! I hear them hoo-hooing outside my window most nights in autumn and winter.

Re: Yes ...

[malinaldarose]

I don't think we have owls around here, but I live in a small neighborhood that is bounded by a commercial plaza on one side, a main road on the other, and a large clear area that was a golf course once. I see hawks a fair amount (red tails, I think). Lots of Canada geese flying through right now.

Re: Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Try searching "urban owls" or (your state) "owls" online. In the Midwest, screech owls are known to live in town.