Golden Eagle eating deer that mountain lion killed

[Kattt]

How lucky am I….
Didn't even know until someone told me what it was.

[BlackHatGuy]

You are lucky! Quite the menagerie you have up there!

[Dale Wambaugh]

Fantastic!

[Kattt]

I have a bunch of pictures and about 20 videos……and when I figure out how to get the AVI format on my Mac….I will be able to see those…
Have not done my homework on that yet. I borrowed a laptop yesterday for the puma videos .

[Anonymous]

"How lucky am I….
Didn't even know until someone told me what it was."

Damn, incredible shots!

[Marko Botsaris]

Great catch. Not too easy to find in the area. And from the dates we are getting them just hours later. The only thing left is for you to put up a live "nature cam" on the web.

I've seen several golden eagles in Henry Coe SP, but not too many (I think only one) in the SC mountains. The most density I ever saw was in the early fall in Big Bend NP in TX. It seemed like there was one on about every ten telephone poles. A ranger in the park later told me they in fact lived mostly on road kill in that area – which kinda briefly cut back on the romance of seeing so many huge raptors. LOL

Still, the birds themselves don't care about the artistry with which they capture their food, and probably would prefer an easy meal. Anyway, they are beautiful. To me they are pretty much the archetype of "Eagle".

[Nick Gatel]

WOW!

[Stephen Barber]

Dang, lady! Those are awesome, especially that first photo! Has National Geo called you yet???!!!

[Ian]

So amazing! I frequently see bald eagles and osprey but I've only seen a few golden eagles in my life, and one of them was on my way to GGG last month.

These pictures have been a real treat. Thanks for sharing them and keep them coming.

[Kattt]

I think I got one of those on my trailcam a while back.

[Jim Colten]

Very cool Golden pics!

But your Osprey is a male American Kestrel. All of those are raptors though

These are Osprey: http://bit.ly/MtsoYj

[Kattt]

That's right! I actually knew that after someone told me but got the names confused partly because of the packs!!!

[Stephen Barber]

The Kestrel or Sparrow Hawk is the smallest North American falcon. Also pretty colorful!

[Marko Botsaris]

"The Kestrel or Sparrow Hawk is the smallest North American falcon."

While the Golden is the largest raptor in NA. Now all she has to do is fill in the gap – I give her a few weeks at this rate. :-)

I grew up in FL watching the Ospreys fish while I fished, so I was happy when I learned they had them here on the west coast. I even saw a nesting pair on the Salmon river in Idaho. I guess fish eagles, especially the Bald eagle which seems to be everywhere, really get around.

When you get into bird collecting you can get into serious obsessive territory. I wonder if anyone has claimed a "big year" record for number of species caught on a trail cams. It would probably annoy traditionalist but seem like it has to be something in the digital age. Not sure what the rules would be, but most species caught from a single fixed camera might be an interesting record. You could become famous – at least amongst bird-nerds.

Then I suppose the supper-crazed folks would "chum" for them – throw bags of bird seed in front of the trail cam on one day, and then a dead deer carcass on on another.

[Jim Colten]

While the Golden is the largest raptor in NA.

Maybe, maybe not.

Not everyone considers New World Vultures to be raptors but current prevailing opinion leans towards yes. Those in the yes camp will consider the California Condor the largest NA raptor … indeed, the largest NA bird (by physical dimensions and also weight).

Either way, it is a thrill to see a golden in the wild!

[Marko Botsaris]

True. And at least the condor wouldn't get dissed for eating carrion. LOL

[Stephen Barber]

"And at least the condor wouldn't get dissed for eating carrion. LOL"

True, they just say, "Carry on!"

(Groan!)

[Kattt]

The update is that I have so much daytime video ( and pictures) of this Eagle eating and flopping about that it will take me a while to sort it out and organize it. Amazing .
I also have hours worth of the puma earring his kill for four nights now. Video and photos.

I am blessed to live in such a place.
On the other hand….tree fell on the power lines to my cabin this afternoon and I am on a little honda Generator – possibly until these storms pass and they finally get to me. I shall be turning that thing off pretty soon here :)

[Marko Botsaris]

The Golden Eagle stopped by this afternoon and I showed him your most recent post. While he doesn't mind the attention he said to tell you that while he, a majestic Golden Eagle, may occasionally go slumming at a pre-killed meal, that majestic Golden Eagles NEVER "flop about", and that he has no idea what you are talking about. He seemed kind of embarrassed.

[Kattt]

I have 4022 ( not a typo) pictures of the eagle(s) over two days. New ones.
I watched them as time lapse and it was amazing. Here are a few and I did manipulate the color a bit because my camera gave it all a green tint. Some seem not to match so well, sorry about that. It will take me a long time to sort all of them and do something with them.
The camera was wet….
These pictures may look similar, but so much of that ripping and tearing went on. Notice in the second to last picture the other eagle on the tree.

But for now, in no particular order.

[David Thomas]

Reminds me of my trips to Adak Island (Aleutian Islands). Drop a caribou and the bald eagles hear it as a dinner bell. When you're about 30 yards away from the carcass, with your meat packed up, there are dozen eagles on the carcass and the gut pile. Those were very well-fed eagles.

Katarina, What's the location? In my life I see SO many more bald than golden eagles.

[Kattt]

David, it's north of Santa Cruz along the coast.

[Hiking Malto]

David,
I had the opportunity to visit Adak back in the '80s. I will never forget the dozen or so bald eagles eating out of the dumpster at the McDonalds on the base.

Kat,
Keep those pictures coming. It really makes me wonder what critters are in the hills near my house.

[David Thomas]

Malto: "I will never forget the dozen or so bald eagles eating out of the dumpster at the McDonalds on the base. " – Would you like fries with that? That was the western-most McD's in the world. The building is still there, albeit vacant.

Kat: I hadn't known they were on the CA coast. I think of goldens as being in open country like Denali and Montana. Cool that they've re-conolized so many places.

[Jim Colten]

I think of goldens as being in open country like Denali and Montana.

Also Nunavut and northern Quebec. The Nunavuts winter in the driftless zones of SE MN, SW WI, NE IA and NW IL. I think the Quebecers winter in PA

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