Guys check this out

[madman4570]

About 1pm this afternoon was walking my dog out back.
On the side of my house(about 40ft away I have a 12 x 24 ft High Barn shed I keep my ATV in. Can hear a chipmunk chirping in the big maple right beside shed.

So here we are out back(dog and I)and I hear this (wham on the ground, and out of corner of my eye notice this dark object falling threw tree.(a limb I thought????) start to walk over there and I see movement???

Think-----if I go inside and walk down to computer room I will be able to see (what it is without doggie scaring whatever???)
So----now I am in computer room-----see a big movement about 3 ft off ground, and see what appears to be a big wing stretched out???

Thinking-----boy, that looks like a Turkey wing ???(big) (injured turkey??) Grab the 12x50 Nikon Binoculars. Look through some underbrush next to tree.

Sitting on top of a downed branch that I had the power company trim off about 6 months ago-----was a huge eagle. (not bald headed)
Really big and it had what looked like a squirrel I thought oh no the little rabbits wife has been giving carrots????

The thud that thing made when it hit the ground----was absolutely unbelievable. You would think it would have been injured.

I did get a photo/tried video too of it with my camera(Nikon Coolpix)but I don't know if its clear enough to get a good pic(I zoomed it and again it was only about 50ft away from house window.

Bottom line-------I tie out my mini schnauzer sometimes for a while to back door-----that big raptor-------the way it slamed the ground-----it would whack that dog in a blink???

Well if it does-------------here comes my other Lab pup(for sure) Kidding Kidding!
but honestly-------I love that little barker too!

[Chuck 100 yd]

COOL !! You know that Bald Eagles don`t get their white plumage until they are 4 years old ???

[2ndovc]

We've had a pair of Bald Eagles about 80 yds behind the house for about 5 years. Love watching them come and go but
we have a rule that our little Rat Terrier is not allowed out alone. I think at 12 lbs he's big and feisty enough that
they won't mess with him but I still have my concerns. We'd be devastated if something like that would happen to him.
Best little dog ever!

jb

[7.62 Precision]

I have had them come out of trees behind me, over my head, and catch (or miss) a fish in front of me. Sounds like a jet going over your head.

The bunny-hugger type biologists claim that they can't pick up a dog bigger than 3 pounds, but I have seen them carry off plenty of big salmon . . .

[Booger Bill]

Earlier this year my wife and I was driving out in the boonies. We seen a eagle swoop down in the brush, never stopped and when it raised up we could see it had a large probley rattelsnake! It gained a lot of altitude and then dropped the snake and flew down to it! Later I was telling the story to a local and they said they drop the snake from altitude to kill it! It was neat to see.

[madman4570]

COOL !! You know that Bald Eagles don`t get their white plumage until they are 4 years old ???

Nope------great info thanks!

[madman4570]

Guys----do any of you guys watch the TV show Mountain Men ???

This last weeks episode one of the guys(think it was Tom)he helped his brother release a Falcon back to the wild.

What was interesting was when they were talking about that bird (was on guys arm)they say their grip force from claws is 1000-2000lbs and if they want------when squeezing down can break a mans arm

I cannot even imagine what that big eagle could do ????

The force-thud that thing made when striking that critter (thinking red squirrel)was absolutely stunning.

Wife says (it better not grab our little 12lb mini schnauzer)----I said, and you will do nothing, cause I sure as heck am not messing with a Bald Eagle----- Explained to her----(unless you are Native American (on their soil)you cannot even possess a dropped Bald Eagle feather. They have the absolute-----in terms of protection.(and that is cool with me)
Will have to just say-----bye bye to pooch(which we love)if it ever happened. God forbid!

[Old Ironsights]

...I said, and you will do nothing, cause I sure as heck am not messing with a Bald Eagle----- Explained to her----(unless you are Native American (on their soil)you cannot even possess a dropped Bald Eagle feather. They have the absolute-----in terms of protection.(and that is cool with me)
Will have to just say-----bye bye to pooch(which we love)if it ever happened. God forbid!

It's not cool with me. That the .gov can convict you of a FELONY and "take away" your RKBA for picking up a frikkin feather that you may or may not recognise as a feather from a "protected" species is demonstrative of how out of control our .gov is...

[madman4570]

...I said, and you will do nothing, cause I sure as heck am not messing with a Bald Eagle----- Explained to her----(unless you are Native American (on their soil)you cannot even possess a dropped Bald Eagle feather. They have the absolute-----in terms of protection.(and that is cool with me)
Will have to just say-----bye bye to pooch(which we love)if it ever happened. God forbid!

It's not cool with me. That the .gov can convict you of a FELONY and "take away" your RKBA for picking up a frikkin feather that you may or may not recognise as a feather from a "protected" species is demonstrative of how out of control our .gov is...

Meant the (not screwing with Bald Eagles is cool with me)the dropped feather though I think could possibly be what looks like a tad overkill---that is our law and I for one will abide by it.

I am sure the reason is----------the United States Government is absolutely (without compromise)adhered to the protection of these birds from illegal poaching/killing. So with that --They go the hard core route(no excuses)mess with em/hurt em/kill em/grab a feather---------------your going to jail. Bottom line(that's the way it is)--------and that ain't one dog to fight!

[hfcable]

...I said, and you will do nothing, cause I sure as heck am not messing with a Bald Eagle----- Explained to her----(unless you are Native American (on their soil)you cannot even possess a dropped Bald Eagle feather. They have the absolute-----in terms of protection.(and that is cool with me)
Will have to just say-----bye bye to pooch(which we love)if it ever happened. God forbid!

It's not cool with me. That the .gov can convict you of a FELONY and "take away" your RKBA for picking up a frikkin feather that you may or may not recognise as a feather from a "protected" species is demonstrative of how out of control our .gov is...

+1 you bet !

[Treeman72]

Speaking of thumps....and a little offtopic. I was sitting in my 99 VW golf at college. While texting in my car, a darn raven landed on my hood and attempted to steal my window wiper blades. Indeed, I would have sworn it was a wild turkey. The size of the darn bird. Ravens really are the size of a hawk. Scared me clueless I tell you. Gotta love birds with majesty and brawn.

[hfcable]

Speaking of thumps....and a little offtopic. I was sitting in my 99 VW golf at college. While texting in my car, a darn raven landed on my hood and attempted to steal my window wiper blades. Indeed, I would have sworn it was a wild turkey. The size of the darn bird. Ravens really are the size of a hawk. Scared me clueless I tell you. Gotta love birds with majesty and brawn.

did it say, as in poe's poem: 'Nevermore!'

or 'wipe your own....whatever'?

that is wierd! ravens are very smart

[loader]

Possibly Golden eagle?

[fluffy]

its illegal to have feathers because someone so inclined could kill an eagle, take the feathers and say they had just found them.

[horsesoldier03]

Wildlife management now requires a salvage tag to take any portion of a deer you hit with your vehicle, and in some cases such as a trophy buck, they will not let you keep the horns or issue any salvage tag. Laws are what they are for a reason. If it were legal to own remnants of protected species, the only way they could ever charge anyone is if they witnessed them killing the species. Without extending the law to the extent that it prohibits possession of feathers, bones, hides or whatever, the protection laws would be relatively useless.

[Nicknack]

Great story Madman,In Australia we have the Wedged Tail Eagle quite a large bird and quite common in Australia.I think they are about the same size as your Bald Eagle.
I have seen them when out bush and you see lots of them when driving on the Nullarbor plain from Eastern Australia to Perth in Western Australia they eat a lot of road kill on the sides of the road.
Our Wedge Tailed Eagle is used as the symbol of the Royal Australian Air force.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedge-tailed_Eagle

RAAFBadget.png

Wedge-tailed_Eagle_Healesville3171060.jpg

[Gobblerforge]

Pitchy has a story about eagles and pets. Pitchy?
Gobbler

[madman4570]

Great story Madman,In Australia we have the Wedged Tail Eagle quite a large bird and quite common in Australia.I think they are about the same size as your Bald Eagle.
I have seen them when out bush and you see lots of them when driving on the Nullarbor plain from Eastern Australia to Perth in Western Australia they eat a lot of road kill on the sides of the road.
Our Wedge Tailed Eagle is used as the symbol of the Royal Australian Air force.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedge-tailed_Eagle

RAAFBadget.png

Wedge-tailed_Eagle_Healesville3171060.jpg

Boy oh boy does that look just about what was here!
Wife seen it yesterday going to Post Office.(we have a 24/7 open section of Post Office for our very large Post box)
Guaranteed no one to mess with mail! $100@ year cheap insurance!