Eagles

[coachg]

Put out hay late yesterday afternoon, Monday. Didn't notice any cows missing or new babies. Had been gone over the weekend. This morning noticed 2 large birds close to something , and a heifer standing over what I assumed was an aborted calf . When I got there 2 Eagles flew up and the heifer just was checking out a newborn calf , half eaten . Do eagles kill newborns, or were they just eating after the calf was dead ? Bald eagles are new to our area and becoming more numerous.

 

[Ky hills]

How large of an animal will an eagle attack? – Wildlife Damage Management

 

[mwj]

They are carrion eaters that will not pass on an easy meal.

 

[Warren Allison]

Put out hay late yesterday afternoon, Monday. Didn't notice any cows missing or new babies. Had been gone over the weekend. This morning noticed 2 large birds close to something , and a heifer standing over what I assumed was an aborted calf . When I got there 2 Eagles flew up and the heifer just was checking out a newborn calf , half eaten . Do eagles kill newborns, or were they just eating after the calf was dead ? Bald eagles are new to our area and becoming more numerous.

Bald eagles eat fish.

 

[tex452]

My brother swears he saw one carrying a baby calf while in flight.
Was it born dead?
Did the Eagle kill it?
Who knows, he did have another guy riding with him that saw it.

 

[WFfarm]

Had two bald eagles on a deer gut pile within an hour in the pasture during deer season.

 

[Travlr]

Put out hay late yesterday afternoon, Monday. Didn't notice any cows missing or new babies. Had been gone over the weekend. This morning noticed 2 large birds close to something , and a heifer standing over what I assumed was an aborted calf . When I got there 2 Eagles flew up and the heifer just was checking out a newborn calf , half eaten . Do eagles kill newborns, or were they just eating after the calf was dead ? Bald eagles are new to our area and becoming more numerous.

When I was a ditch runner for the Irrigation District we shared a building with the DNR. One day a guy and his wife comes running in all excited and frantic, and they tell the DNR agent that there's an eagle just outside of town attacking an antelope. The antelope was on its feet, and the eagle was stooping on it to hit it in the side over and over again. The DNR guy asked them what they wanted him to do. "Save the poor antelope! An innocent animal is in danger!" The DNR guy hesitated and looked around the room at us ditch runners, etc., that were in the office, all rural locals, and then asked the urbanites if they would like him to save the eagle when it was starving. The woman didn't get it (not sure the husband did either, but she's the one that said it). "Well of course." So the DNR guy says, "So you want us to stop feeding the eagle with the antelope we put out there to feed them?" The guy looks embarrassed, pits his hand on the arm of his wife and they make a quick exit.

Most of the eagles I see feeding are scavenging from roadkill, and there's enough of that that they might be satisfied. But a newborn calf might be lunch if the mom isn't protective. Sorry...

 

[Travlr]

My brother swears he saw one carrying a baby calf while in flight.
Was it born dead?
Did the Eagle kill it?
Who knows, he did have another guy riding with him that saw it.

It would have to be a small miscarriage. They can't carry much weight. A big eagle weighs less than 15 pounds and can only carry about 25% of their weight.

 

[uplandnut]

They will kill calves. Neighbor won't even let his dairy cows calve outside after the eagles killed 2 calves couple years ago. They will take any easy meal they see, nothing but vultures.

 

[Lee VanRoss]

My brother swears he saw one carrying a baby calf while in flight.
Was it born dead?
Did the Eagle kill it?
Who knows, he did have another guy riding with him that saw it.

Does he imbibe?

 

[tex452]

It would have to be a small miscarriage. They can't carry much weight. A big eagle weighs less than 15 pounds and can only carry about 25% of their weight.

That's what I think.

 

[tex452]

Does he imbibe?

Yes he does, but not while driving.

 

[TCRanch]

Bald eagles eat fish.

Among other things.

We're fortunate our bald eagles have yet to prey on a calf but they've pretty much eradicated our barn cat population and we're down to 2.

 

[Dave]

It would have to be a small miscarriage. They can't carry much weight. A big eagle weighs less than 15 pounds and can only carry about 25% of their weight.

That would mean they can only carry about 4 pounds. I have seen then pack off salmon which were sure heavier than 4 pounds. I have a friend who lost a lot of new born lambs to eagles.

 

[TCRanch]

One of our neighbors and his friend were at our watershed lake duck hunting. It was so cold, they had to take turns chopping a hole in the ice for the ducks. They just sat in their blind with their jaws open while one of our eagles swooped down & snatched the very first duck they got.

 

[Travlr]

That would mean they can only carry about 4 pounds. I have seen then pack off salmon which were sure heavier than 4 pounds. I have a friend who lost a lot of new born lambs to eagles.

Look it up.

 

[Caustic Burno]

They are carrion eaters that will not pass on an easy meal.

Yep they sit at the same table as buzzards.

 

[Ebenezer]

They will kill lambs.

 

[sstterry]

I have watched them kill small game here. Never something as large a calf though. We are becoming more populated with them here.

 

[ChrisB2]

Lots of eagles in our area and they hang around during calving season, but just to eat after birth. Not saying it can't happen, but I haven't heard of anyone ever having problems.