Hello all,

I also spent some time watching the Golden Eagle on Sibley Road this
morning. It was perched in the southeast corner of the wishing well field,
preening while a group of turkeys walked directly below it. They did not
seem to notice or care about the eagle. As I watched, the eagle flew down
into the field, snagged a gray squirrel, and flew up onto a perch in a
different tree. There have been many squirrels in the corn stubble when
I've visited over the past several weeks. Perhaps with the glut of
squirrels this winter it is not worth the risk and effort for the eagle to
tackle larger prey, such as the turkeys. Maybe the turkeys have become
habituated to the eagle.

There has been an increase in Golden Eagles overwintering in the Northeast
in recent decades. I wonder if the increases in both the white-tailed deer
and wild turkey populations in recent decades have helped them. If you are
curious about Golden Eagles in the northeast, check out the work of the
Eastern Golden Eagle Working Group and the Katzner Lab. The camera trap
images are particularly impressive.

http://egewg.org/Home_Page.html

http://www.appalachianeagles.org/

Zac Cota

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