On our regular trips to Longboat Key, I almost always see a bald eagle or two. Of course, this is not unexpected since Florida, with its numerous waterways, lakes and coastal bays, has long been a southern outpost for our National Bird.
Since encountering my first bald eagle back in 1979, east of Little Rock, Arkansas, I have had the pleasure to observe hundreds of these majestic raptors in the wild. However, prior to this week, I had always seen them perched in trees, sitting on the nest, feasting on carrion (dead fish or waterfowl), flying along river valleys or soaring above the countryside. During this visit to Longboat, two adults settled in along Sarasota Bay, roosting atop a large Norfolk pine, just twenty yards from our condo. Now and again, one of the eagles would circle out over the bay and swoop toward the water, striking at fish with its powerful talons.
During some of these forays, an osprey, clearly threatened by the presence of these larger and more powerful predators, would swoop in to disrupt the hunt. The osprey, noticeably trimmer and more agile, reminded me of the crows and jays that attack red-tailed hawks in the Midwest; while neither the hawk nor the eagle is a significant threat to these smaller birds, they clearly sense danger and are determined to defend their turf. In the end (as occurred with this osprey), the relentless attacks pay off and the large hunters move on to a more tranquil site.
