Bald Eagles are not that uncommon here on the Rondout in the Rosendale area, but this last week things seemed a bit different. In early morning, as I opened my curtains onto to the creek a group of 6 Common Mergansers went flying by, a little fast for landing but about the right height above the ice for a put-down in an open spot just a little downstream. Strangely within a blink, another "family sized" group followed -- as I was thinking I've never seen Merganser groups moving around together like that, a huge loping bird flying at the same low height over the water followed -- an adult Bald Eagle.... unusual only in as much as the Eagles usually move through here about 100 feet higher--this guy was eye level. The next morning when another Merganser group whipped by I smiled thinking yah, now comes an Eagle..and it did! Curious. I went downstream to see if it had perched where I have often seen them land to fish for long periods of time near the shallows at the Rt 32 Bridge..Nothing. But early the next day when I was downstream counting for the GBBC the Eagle flew through the area...again low and not stopping at the ice free water there. The next day I barely took note of the adult flying by, but in about 30 minutes a bit further downstream from the bridge, I was surprised to see it flying back upstream, their usual pattern being--downstream morning to the Hudson, late afternoon upstream. Finishing my count, I turned to go back upstream and heard the group of crows I had just counted going nuts, caw cawing....they were encircling a huge bird who was whirling around and around trying to avoid their jabs and flapping wings. The struggle was wild with them almost landing in the water a couple times but the large bird finally grabbed for a small creek-side tree. It clung to a branch still surrounded by the the crows screaming, but not attacking. Now I could see it was an immature Eagle -- I was surprised because I hadn't seen one here during this summer..I was just across the creek and it rested long enough for me to note its mottled feathers of beige to darker browns on its under side and a half yellow and black beak. After a few minutes they all had calmed down and the immature flew on up stream, and as it soared up a bit to fly over the RT 32 bridge it joined the adult who had heard and watched the scene from a perch several hundred feet upstream. When I checked my Sibley's at home the beak's color identified it as a three year old immature. I'm wondering if the immature had been born upstream had strayed away too long from its territory causing an adult to search, or if a new family is moving up stream from the big River into a new nesting territory..or a coincidence, as it seems something really unusual happens during the GBBC!
