What are the odds that the America’s national bird would be caught on camera attacking a Canada Goose?
Mervyn Sequeira, a 74-year-old photographer based out of Ontario, captured a series of incredible photos of this bird battle last month. Battle might not be the right ward for it, since the Canada goose might have been too busy fighting something internally to really worry about the external threat.
The wildlife photographer speculated that the goose was likely suffering from the Avian Flu. Some common symptoms of the sickness include coughing, difficulty breathing, and neurological issues like stumbling and a lack of coordination. Adding to those problems, the goose was vulnerable out on the ice, and as Sequeira told CBC, he thinks there’s a reason why the bird fight ended without much action:
“We were there, and we saw this bald eagle coming in and going in to attack a Canada goose that was on the ice. When we thought that it was really over for the goose, strangely, the bald eagle just gave up and left. The goose was spared that day.”
Could the bald eagle have known that the goose was suffering, and decided to not get too close to risk getting sick as well? There’s honestly a good chance, and that certainly looked like it was the case in the series of pictures. Why else would the bald eagle suddenly change its mind about the easy prey it had sitting right in front of it? And already on ice (not my best joke, but hopefully you get it)…
At the end of the day, the pictures of this close encounter are remarkable. And because of the current political climate, even Mervyn Sequeira realized that the timing couldn’t have been better:
“Very symbolic.”
And that’s very true. The rivalry between the United States and Canada has never been more intense. That’s because, for the most part, the two neighboring countries have generally been… neighborly. But now that President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau aren’t seeing eye-to-eye on tariffs, America and Canada are experiencing some tension.
Even the birds that represent each country aren’t getting along right now, and social media made sure to point that out:
“I only posted (the pictures on Instagram) in terms of what happened, not putting a political spin on it. However, there were lots of people who looked at it in the political context. That is how nature works. But we’re living in a slightly polarized world just now, so some people looked at it differently.”
Crazy how symbolic those pictures are, am I right?
Now I hate to point out that the Bald Eagle (United States) could have easily ended the goose (Canada), yet it showed it mercy and left it to live another day. I’m not trying to be political with that… but everyone that saw the photos online certainly drew comparisons:
“These are extraordinary captures of the harsh reality of nature, and ironically mirror current affairs.”
“Sign of the times.”
“How reflective of current events? What an amazing capture.”
“Good summary of what’s going on these days.”
“Great capture. Very symbolic in such a time.”
Here are some more pictures (courtesy of Mervyn Sequeira) from the encounter, in case you were interested:
