Bald Eagle Attacks Sandhill Crane
The photos in this blog entry are from Stan Tekiela and Amber Burnette.
This year's trip to Nebraska was just chock full of "Holy Crap" moments. I mean, the common crane (in the above photo) that we saw within thirty minutes of arrival to the area after driving all day was almost too much to hope for. I just found out that it's on the American Birding Association Blog and is classified as a Code 4 Bird (Casual--Species not recorded annually in the ABA Checklist Area, but with six or more total records—including three or more in the past 30 years—reflecting some pattern of occurrence). As a field trip leader you kind of wonder how you will top a sighting like that for the rest of the weekend--but top it, we did!
The following documented behavior is the type of stuff that a girl like me reads about in magazines and wonders if I'll ever have a chance to witness in real life. Again, I want to thank Stan and Amber for letting me use their photos in the blog to share it with you. Click on the photos if you wish to see the larger version.
We were watching a group of cranes forage in a field when we noticed something was spooking them and causing them to fly off. I was in the bus with half the group and Amber and Stan were outside with the rest getting shots of cranes in flight.
That's when we all noticed an adult bald eagle in hot pursuit of one of the cranes. Somehow the eagle had managed to get one crane separated from the flock. I started shouting, "It's going for the crane, it's going for the crane, it's going for the crane!" I wondered if the others outside the bus noticed, but Amber's enthusiastic yelling told me they had. Everyone was shouting on the bus, it was like an intense football game but the crowd was unsure of which team to root for--we all loved eagles and we all loved cranes (I think it's a safe assumption that for Raptor Center alums like Amber and me--we were on Team Eagle).
The bald eagle closed the gap in such a short amount of time, it pumped its wings hard and was soon on top of the crane. It flew past the crane just a little, dove at it and missed.
Here is the eagle making a second attack.
The sandhill crane breaks free and starts to drop.
The eagle makes a quick grab a second time.
The eagle has the crane in its talsons and is flying while carrying the crane upside down, wings open!
The bald eagle is holding the sandhill crane for one or two seconds before...
The eagle lost its grip and the crane starts to fly away with the eagle coming after it.
The eagle gives one last chase before breaking off from the crane. What was interesting to me was that the crane and the eagle ended up flying right over our bus. As the crane flew over, the eagle appeared to slow and change direction. I'm left with so many questions from this encounter. Did the eagle not want to fly over humans? Did the crane luck out or fly over us on purpose? We did not see where either bird ended up, but did the eagle make a wide circle and wait out the exhausted crane? Did the crane fly away in its weakened state and become coyote chow? How deep did the talons get?
Out of all the sandhill cranes that took off, why that one bird? Did the eagle see something different or was it just that the crane foolishly went away from the safety of the flock? This was an adult eagle--has it killed a crane successfully before?
Such a cool encounter and yet so many questions unanswered.
This year's trip to Nebraska was just chock full of "Holy Crap" moments. I mean, the common crane (in the above photo) that we saw within thirty minutes of arrival to the area after driving all day was almost too much to hope for. I just found out that it's on the American Birding Association Blog and is classified as a Code 4 Bird (Casual--Species not recorded annually in the ABA Checklist Area, but with six or more total records—including three or more in the past 30 years—reflecting some pattern of occurrence). As a field trip leader you kind of wonder how you will top a sighting like that for the rest of the weekend--but top it, we did!The following documented behavior is the type of stuff that a girl like me reads about in magazines and wonders if I'll ever have a chance to witness in real life. Again, I want to thank Stan and Amber for letting me use their photos in the blog to share it with you. Click on the photos if you wish to see the larger version.
We were watching a group of cranes forage in a field when we noticed something was spooking them and causing them to fly off. I was in the bus with half the group and Amber and Stan were outside with the rest getting shots of cranes in flight.
That's when we all noticed an adult bald eagle in hot pursuit of one of the cranes. Somehow the eagle had managed to get one crane separated from the flock. I started shouting, "It's going for the crane, it's going for the crane, it's going for the crane!" I wondered if the others outside the bus noticed, but Amber's enthusiastic yelling told me they had. Everyone was shouting on the bus, it was like an intense football game but the crowd was unsure of which team to root for--we all loved eagles and we all loved cranes (I think it's a safe assumption that for Raptor Center alums like Amber and me--we were on Team Eagle).
The bald eagle closed the gap in such a short amount of time, it pumped its wings hard and was soon on top of the crane. It flew past the crane just a little, dove at it and missed.
Here is the eagle making a second attack.
The sandhill crane breaks free and starts to drop.
The eagle makes a quick grab a second time.
The eagle has the crane in its talsons and is flying while carrying the crane upside down, wings open!
The bald eagle is holding the sandhill crane for one or two seconds before...
The eagle lost its grip and the crane starts to fly away with the eagle coming after it.
The eagle gives one last chase before breaking off from the crane. What was interesting to me was that the crane and the eagle ended up flying right over our bus. As the crane flew over, the eagle appeared to slow and change direction. I'm left with so many questions from this encounter. Did the eagle not want to fly over humans? Did the crane luck out or fly over us on purpose? We did not see where either bird ended up, but did the eagle make a wide circle and wait out the exhausted crane? Did the crane fly away in its weakened state and become coyote chow? How deep did the talons get? 
Out of all the sandhill cranes that took off, why that one bird? Did the eagle see something different or was it just that the crane foolishly went away from the safety of the flock? This was an adult eagle--has it killed a crane successfully before?Such a cool encounter and yet so many questions unanswered.
Labels: Bird Trips, Holy Crap, Nebraska
posted by birdchick at 1:47 PM
16 Comments:
OK - now you'd better have a really good excuse to miss banding class tomorrow at CNC.
Fabulous post. Unbelievable pictures. As I'm reading it I have all kinds of questions. However, no point in asking them because you appear to have the same and/or similar questions.
Wow. I'm jealous.
-akh
Fabulous…yes; and Holy Crap indeed! Wow, you must have had goose-bumps! (oh, sorry)…
Did you notice how similar these two photographs were:
• Amber’s pic: …/eagle1-781246.jpg
• Stan’s pic …/Bald-Eagle-attacking-Sandhill-Crane-Tekiela-TEK7956-copy-768897.jpg
I did (but then, I’m odd that way.)
Thank you for a wonderful treat!
Wow...I wonder what made the eagle think he'd be able to handle a crane? Are they ever able to bring down a bird that big?
Awesome pictures...high fives to those who snapped them. I'm jealous; what a sight to see!
Wow. I never would've thought an eagle would go after something that large.
Unexpected moments like that is something that keeps people birding.
That is just fantastic.
Having an near-adult bald eagle buzz me on the shore of a man-made pond here in Scottsdale Az was such a thrill, to think of seeing something like this just makes the goose bumps rise. So cool for you all.
(Beginning birder, here. Have been aware of birds all my life, but since moving to Arizona a year ago, have started documenting things as well as looking and learning)
Holy %&*$.
I'm on team eagle too! There's nothing like a nice fat crane with no talons.
My daughters and I go to Kearney every year to see the Cranes. Last year we saw thousands of Snow Geese on a small island near town. A Baldie went after them, too. Nice watching a thousand or so geese all take off at the same time. On the Platte we also saw an Eagle chase off some Cranes. Didn't catch any but they all scattered. Someone in the crowd saw a military helicopter that was far in the distance and of course had to blame them for the Cranes getting spooked. Only my daughter and I saw the Eagle. Not very aware birders! LOL!
Eurasian White-tailed Eagles in NE Germany are known for occasionally taking down Common Cranes and White Storks (about the same size as a Sandhill Crane). These are very rare prey species (the most common here being Greater White-fronted Goose), but Eagles will probably hunt down anything according to situation and opportunity.
We once passed a small island in the Baltic Sea in a small boat, together with a small fishing vessel that had a cloud of a few hundred gulls following it. Suddenly we saw these 2 adult White-tailed Eagles flying low over the water, coming from the island, and they started to attack the flock of gulls that had nowhere to hide out on the open sea.
Quite a sight as well, but not nearly as breathtaking as the hunt you were able to witness.
Congrats on that.
Oh my gosh. I gotta tell you--I was on Team Crane. That was some scary shite. Like you, I am full of questions....
Holy crap! Now that sighting would be tough to top any day of the week.
What an experience! Your play-by-play is terrific, too!
WHOA!! We see eagles harassing cranes all winter long (often enough that we've got a name for the phenomenon: Eagle Panic), but in over a decade we've NEVER seen such a close call as THAT! At "our" site, Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area, the cranes seem to be less wary of people than the big raptors and will fly right over the viewing platforms when they see an incoming eagle (Balds and Goldens).
I just came back from a wonderful morning with the few thousand cranes left at WDWA, and I'm still freakin' green with envy!
Wow, quite a scene you happened upon, Sharon. Heard about your posting about it on the wisbird network. Had to check it out. I plan to link your blog from my under construction website.
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