Nature never ceases to amaze me.
I’ve seen my fair share of “large bird picks something up” videos, and every time I see one, I’m hooked from the very beginning. And funny enough, the footage itself usually features a large predatory bird hooking its talons into unsuspecting prey. I guess you could say I’m hooked on seeing things get hooked.
That’s especially the case when there’s a Bald eagle involved. Nothing is as patriotic as a bald eagle swooping down through the air (just ask High Point University), and when our national bird soars back up into the sky with something in tow, you just can help but mutter “America” and salute.
The video linked below might as well have the “Star Spangled Banner” playing over it. It’s also one of the few bald eagles clips that I’ve seen that is shot from a frontal perspective, and stays honed in on the bird’s laser sharp focus the entire time.
Bald eagles have some of the sharpest talons of all predatory birds, and their exceptional eyesight (which allows them to spot prey up to 2 miles away) really supports the phrase “eagled eyed.” That saying had to come from somewhere.
So in this footage, the Red, White, and Blue (in spirit) bird had set its eyes on a fish swimming just below the surface of the water. The eagle calculated its descent and managed to catch the fish off guard, all while carefully soaring just above the water. I’m no expert on eagles, so I don’t know if this is a normal occurrence, but pay attention to how little the bird’s head moves as it dives down with two talons into the water to pick up the fish.
It’s majestic, powerful, and intimidating all at the same time, much like our great country itself. Thanks to its razor-sharp talons, picking up the slippery fish was no problem at all for the bald eagle. You might as well categorize this footage below as a “fast food trip” with how quickly the bald eagle dropped down out of the sky, picked up its food, and continued on its merry way.
Take a look:
