The golden eagle is another brave creature that sticks around the Front Range for the winter. The one I saw today seemed to be suffering the harassment of a much smaller bird that looked like a hawk of some kind (again, drive-by analysis). I wonder if the eagle just moved on or got so annoyed that it chose to eat the smaller bird. Nature raises such questions.
The only photo I have of a golden eagle was taken last summer. I was driving, but it was on such a bumpy dirt road that I was only going about 20 mph at best. Therefore, it was much easier to stop and get this shot than on a highway.
The only golden eagles I have seen perched have chosen spots so far away I could only watch them through high powered lenses. Otherwise, they are soaring.
The U.S. Forest Service warns of humans affecting eagle populations: "Golden eagles are sensitive to human disturbance and are likely to abandon their nests during the incubation period if disturbed. Human disturbance was responsible for 85 percent of golden eagle nesting failures along the Front Range of the Rockies in Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico. Placing seasonal restrictions on recreational activities and limiting human access in nesting areas can minimize the chance of disturbance." The Front Range has numerous seasonal closures for nesting raptors, which I am always encouraged to see.
Eagles tend to eat small mammals like rabbits, but they can bring down large game if hungry enough. There is a haunting YouTube video of a golden eagle seizing a bighorn sheep by the rear leg and dragging it off a cliff, knowing it will enjoy a feast when the sheep hits the bottom. Since the video I saw was pretty brutal, I'm not attaching a link. Suffice it to say, these are pretty awesome predators. You can't help but admire their graceful strength.
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