# Eagle Warning



## ENCORE (Sep 19, 2005)

Thought it was time again, to post another warning about eagles and small pets. Winter is always hardest on just about anything that stays here. That said, everything is hungry and so are the eagles. If there isn't enough road kill for them to feed on, they're going to hunt.

If you have small pets, dogs or cats and there are eagles within the area, you should definately keep a very close eye on the pets if they're outside. Eagles are large birds and capable of picking up and flying away with small pets, and they'll do it very quickly if necessary.

I was able to stop one from attacking on our small dog but, had I not been there and seen the eagle first, things may have ended badly.

Some locals up here happened to watch an eagle perch often from their window in a very large tree, a considerable distance from their house. What took them out that way or, why they were looking around I can't remember but, under the tree they picked up 23 collers. If you let small pets outside and eagles are within the area, it would be best to keep a close eye on the pet.... and the sky.


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## JBooth (Sep 21, 2009)

I believe that was the eagle at Presque Isle Harbor. If not something similar happened. Really big eagle and a bunch of small pet collars in/around the nest. It buzzed my duck decoys the day after I heard that story.


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## Anish (Mar 6, 2009)

Man! That would be awful!!


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## OH-YEAH!!! (Jun 18, 2009)

I saw an eagle not far from M37 yesterday in Lake County.

It was eating a dead deer with some crows. The eagle made the crows look like sparows.

If the eagles are picking off stray cats, more power to them. A little payback for all the songbirds and cottontail babies felled by at large kitties.


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## Tagz (Sep 22, 2005)

Birds of prey can lift about half of their weight. For larger female Bald eagles this means they can lift about 7 lbs.


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## Fishndude (Feb 22, 2003)

I saw an Eagle on the ice on Belleville lake, yesterday. It was just standing there. Definitely a Bald Eagle.


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## Milbo (Jan 5, 2011)

Fishndude said:


> I saw an Eagle on the ice on Belleville lake, yesterday. It was just standing there. Definitely a Bald Eagle.


We see BE's on the ice quite often in Allegan County. I am more concerned with Red Tail's than eagles with my small pets. I had a RTH take a guniea fowl, duck and young turkey out of my yard last year. he discovered easy pickins and kept coming back.


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## johnny5alive (Jun 11, 2011)

Does that eagle hang out with the Musky that puts acorns on the picnic table that some kids threw in the water?


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## YZman (Mar 4, 2004)

http://www.baldeagleinfo.com/eagle/eagle8.html

When I had researched a few years ago, resources on-line that generally seemed factual (.edu, .gov, etc) stated that eagles taking small pets were false. Eagles around dead animals were typically killed by something else. Collars reported in nests could be explained by partial remains taken back.

As was stated by Tagz, half their body weight max. And a 14lb eagle is at the upper end in size. Most full grown dogs and cats are over 7lb.


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## ENCORE (Sep 19, 2005)

YZman said:


> http://www.baldeagleinfo.com/eagle/eagle8.html
> 
> When I had researched a few years ago, resources on-line that generally seemed factual (.edu, .gov, etc) stated that eagles taking small pets were false. Eagles around dead animals were typically killed by something else. Collars reported in nests could be explained by partial remains taken back.
> 
> As was stated by Tagz, half their body weight max. And a 14lb eagle is at the upper end in size. Most full grown dogs and cats are over 7lb.


Its understandable that eagles wouldn't be able to pick up large pets and just carry them off. However, regardless of what may be reported, when eagles can't find road or winter kill, they still have to eat. It wasn't that long ago, when a small dog that was being walked on a leash was attacked by an owl. That story was all over the evening news. Any preditor, scavenger or bird of prey, when food is not available, will kill to sustain itself.

Reports written by well meaning authors are one thing, however eye wittness accounts are another. Although that eagle couldn't have picked up our Shih Tzu, it did make an attempt at it. Fortunately we were there and seen the eagle first. The wife's full grown and outside tom cat, weighs approximately 4#.

After that episode and the dog is outside in the winter, our eyes are on the sky. We were lucky the first time. As far as the cat goes, he's a night prowler and on his own......


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## dead short (Sep 15, 2009)

I wonder if the collars by/in the nests were ever officially documented? That would be an interesting report to write and read. 


Posted from my iPhone.


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## ENCORE (Sep 19, 2005)

dead short said:


> I wonder if the collars by/in the nests were ever officially documented? That would be an interesting report to write and read.
> 
> 
> Posted from my iPhone.


Absolutely correct dead short! But as with some things, people in the area never call the DNR or think about calling anyone else, maybe because of past expierences. That's sad too....


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## Tagz (Sep 22, 2005)

Don't get me wrong. They will attack more than they carry. My Red-tailed hawk takes rabbits, but can barely drag them if trying to hide. 

It is documented of bald eagles found dead in water with large fish in their talons still. The way birds of prey talons work is they rachet closed. It takes less energy to keep it locked tight. But sometimes this mechanism sticks and they have a hard time releasing. Thus being found drowned.

Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk


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## Tagz (Sep 22, 2005)

I drove by a tree up north that had hundreds of shoes hanging from it....looks like the eagles are at again.

Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk


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## sullyxlh (Oct 28, 2004)

ENCORE said:


> Thought it was time again, to post another warning about eagles and small pets. Winter is always hardest on just about anything that stays here. That said, everything is hungry and so are the eagles. If there isn't enough road kill for them to feed on, they're going to hunt.
> 
> If you have small pets, dogs or cats and there are eagles within the area, you should definately keep a very close eye on the pets if they're outside. Eagles are large birds and capable of picking up and flying away with small pets, and they'll do it very quickly if necessary.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the tip
Now I'm off to Craigslist to find some free kittens!!...


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## Robert Holmes (Oct 13, 2008)

Tagz said:


> I drove by a tree up north that had hundreds of shoes hanging from it....looks like the eagles are at again.
> 
> Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk


 The shoes came from the victims of a Cougar that you can also see in the tree if you look a little closer


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## DFJISH (Mar 30, 2009)

I've been keeping a bait pile of meat scraps stocked up for coyotes since November. The location is WAY out in a pasture from an old abandoned farm. The owner is there daily to feed hay to his herd of cattle. There are s few big dead trees right where the carcasses are. The farmer told me he has seen as many as 6 bald eagles out there at one time. On several occassions I have seen two of them. This morining three ENORMOUS eagles flew in and perched about the bait. I was sure they were golden eagles, but confirmed it tonight with some internet research. I actually took a photo of the eagles this morning but my digital camera has a low zoom so they still look mighty small. Anyway, it's very interesting to see eagles so often.

2 bald eagles









3 golden eagles in the same tree


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## TSS Caddis (Mar 15, 2002)

If I was an adult male that owned a Shih Tzu, it would be a blessing to have an eagle take it off my hands so I would not have to be seen with it.


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## stagliano (Nov 10, 2006)

dead short said:


> I wonder if the collars by/in the nests were ever officially documented? That would be an interesting report to write and read.
> 
> 
> Posted from my iPhone.


This is kind of related. There is a predator/prey study going on in the south west UP conducted by Mississippi State U. and the Michigan DNR's Wildlife Division. In their 2009 annual report they documented a collared fawn being taken by a bald eagle. There is no real way to confirm that the bird killed the fawn but the collar ended up in an eagle's nest. Check out "fawn mortality" on page six of this link:

http://www.fwrc.msstate.edu/carnivore/predatorprey/docs/annual_report_09.pdf


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## buckrat (Dec 5, 2010)

Saw a family of them on thin ice in early december on 8pt Lake in Clare County. Two adults were hunting nearby and dropping rabbits (something) onto the ice for the younger ones. I was watching through binos and I could see blood everywhere contrasting with the dusting of snow. One of those "mother nature" scenes I'll never forget.


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## johnny5alive (Jun 11, 2011)

DFJISH said:


> I've been keeping a bait pile of meat scraps stocked up for coyotes since November. The location is WAY out in a pasture from an old abandoned farm. The owner is there daily to feed hay to his herd of cattle. There are s few big dead trees right where the carcasses are. The farmer told me he has seen as many as 6 bald eagles out there at one time. On several occassions I have seen two of them. This morining three ENORMOUS eagles flew in and perched about the bait. I was sure they were golden eagles, but confirmed it tonight with some internet research. I actually took a photo of the eagles this morning but my digital camera has a low zoom so they still look mighty small. Anyway, it's very interesting to see eagles so often.
> 
> 2 bald eagles
> 
> ...



are you sure they arent just the juvenile offspring of the other two adult bald eagles


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## Tagz (Sep 22, 2005)




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## ENCORE (Sep 19, 2005)

TSS Caddis said:


> If I was an adult male that owned a Shih Tzu, it would be a blessing to have an eagle take it off my hands so I would not have to be seen with it.


Just wondering....... How well would that work out for you, if the dog belonged to your wife or kids and they were standing there watching the whole thing, especially it happening with your blessing?

BTW a pretty cruel remark, hope you don't own any animals.


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## LushLife (Mar 3, 2008)

didn't the Decorah eagle cam go off-line last year because people freaked when a cat was in the nest?


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## Abolt (Mar 11, 2011)

Seen one at Metro Beach about a month and a half ago. A lot of people walking their dogs out there. Right next to the Boat launch near the golf course.


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## DFJISH (Mar 30, 2009)

johnny5alive said:


> are you sure they arent just the juvenile offspring of the other two adult bald eagles


 
From what I could see at that distance (Also saw them in flight) I am pretty sure they are golden eagles. With my 10x50 binoculars I could see they had brownish colored heads and in flight I could see the underside of white primary feathers. I'll be back and I think they will too. I hope to get a look at their legs. If their lower legs have feathers then they are golden eagles for sure.


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## Tagz (Sep 22, 2005)

LushLife said:


> didn't the Decorah eagle cam go off-line last year because people freaked when a cat was in the nest?


Urban rumor
http://www.decorahnews.com/archived-stories/2011/04/9550.html


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