Fighting for the Fish
A moment after the Bald Eagle grabbed the trout N. Pike
Today a friend and I were over at Quaker Lake when we found this Bald Eagle being attacked by an Osprey. I quickly ran for my camera (kept in the trunk) . . . darn, I just missed their talons clinging together!!! Of course I was fumbling with the camera and trying to get my lens cap off. Once I finally started taking pictures (click, click, click) . . . . I heard “splash” . . . The eagle had just pulled this huge trout N. Pike from the water. One would have thought this Eagle would have had a hard time carrying this large fish but instead it flew away with grace. Moments later we found the Osprey in a dive towards the Eagle with intentions to try and steal the fish from the Eagle. The Eagle just ignored the Osprey and flew up into the tree to eat his fresh lunch.
Osprey attacking the Eagle
Osprey chasing the Eagle
 Subscribe to Mon@rch |
All Rights Reserved ©2006-2008 |
Mon@rch's Nature Blog 
Hi Tom,
Thanks for sharing your “moment of ecological ecstasy” with all your readers. Those moments are very special. And so are you!
16 June 2008 at 9:54 pm
Wow! The things you get to witness! The right place at the right time. I’m glad you had your camera with you. Great pictures!
16 June 2008 at 10:05 pm
That’s amazing. Great photo, great photo op, and fascinating behavior to observe.
16 June 2008 at 10:17 pm
AMAZING!!
16 June 2008 at 10:24 pm
What a COOL series of pictures! Lucky you to see such a thing.
16 June 2008 at 10:24 pm
That trout is huge! I see the eagle kept his meal.
16 June 2008 at 11:28 pm
Holy cow! Fantastic shots! What a sight.
16 June 2008 at 11:36 pm
How interesting! I’m glad you caught some of the drama to share with us =) That’s a huge fish!
17 June 2008 at 12:37 am
So dramatic! Wow!
17 June 2008 at 1:02 am
That is one seriously HUGE trout! What a nifty sequence. Thanks for showing that to all of us.
17 June 2008 at 2:21 am
I’m glad you were able to get this sequence. Wonderful!
17 June 2008 at 5:46 am
Fascinating!
The last photo in this series shows a bald eagle catching a fish.
17 June 2008 at 6:04 am
Wow Tom! What a great series of shots! So cool to see that eagle getting the trout!
17 June 2008 at 6:42 am
“p’tit bonjour” from France
17 June 2008 at 7:00 am
Tom–the consensus thus far, on your pics–WOW WOW WOW.
I can only add my humble–wow.
17 June 2008 at 7:42 am
Spectacular shots!! Fun to be able to witness such cool behaviors among two skilled fisherbirds.
17 June 2008 at 10:20 am
WOW what great action shots!!! Wonderful picture but poor little trout!
17 June 2008 at 11:42 am
Great stuff!!
17 June 2008 at 3:08 pm
Wow! Great shots – that’s one of those moments when you wish you could go through life with a camera always in your hand!
17 June 2008 at 3:38 pm
Nice work! Any idea what species of trout that is? The pattern is kinda hard to make out.
17 June 2008 at 7:21 pm
Well that was pretty darn cool-I would have loved to have seen that and thanks to you I did!
17 June 2008 at 8:01 pm
@ Linda – Thanks and glad you enjoyed this so much!
@ Linda – Erie – Thanks and for sure you need to be in the right place (Allegany) at the right time!
@ Wren – thanks and it was great watching them interact!
@ Mel – thanks
@ Lynne – thanks and was at the right place!
@ Grace – was big for sure! Ya that osprey didn’t have a chance of getting any of that fish!
@ Amy – thanks!
@ Rondi – Thanks and wish I could share some more drama with everyone!
@ Liza – Thanks
@ Trixie – thanks and glad you enjoyed!
@ Mary – thanks
@ Rebecca – thanks for sharing that photo with us!
@ Jayne – thanks and was great to see for sure!
@ Mima – thanks
@ KGMom – thanks thanks thanks! You are too kind!
@ Birdfreak – thanks and was amazing to see!
@ letspaintnature – thanks and it wasn’t that little of a trout . . . but the birds need to eat also!
@ threecollie – thanks
@ Sherri – thanks and many more moments I wish I always had my camera with me and able to always looking for the next fish!
@ Nick – without a doubt it is a big Brown Trout that it grabbed! It’s a shame because it’s probably one of the breeders that had been taken!
@ Marg – thanks Marg!
17 June 2008 at 8:34 pm
Wow wow wow! I’d have been too stunned to get any photos if I saw an encounter like that (Bald Eagles being not at all common in these parts). Simply wonderful!
17 June 2008 at 11:52 pm
That’s hilarious! Animals crack me up sometimes! Osprey vs. Eagle: Tonight at 10 on HBO.
18 June 2008 at 9:35 am
Fantastic photos of the eagle and osprey. Nature is so competitive!
18 June 2008 at 1:24 pm
Wonderful images Tom !! 🙂
18 June 2008 at 2:35 pm
@ Adam – thanks and was happy but wish I had my camera out earlier when the Osprey and Eagle were attacking each other!
@ Mist – thanks and if they did have them on . . . . maybe I would get cable!
@ Joan – thanks
@ Bernie- thanks!
18 June 2008 at 5:47 pm
Wow!!!!
18 June 2008 at 6:41 pm
Wow…That’s uber-cool!
19 June 2008 at 9:15 am
I knew that eagles would go after osprey, but I didn’t realize that the opposite also happened. Great sequence!
20 June 2008 at 9:04 am
Fantastic!
I just love where you play. Nature has the best shows.
Sherry
20 June 2008 at 10:00 am
Beautiful photo! If gase prices keep going up, I may be fighting over fish with the Bald Eagles.
21 June 2008 at 8:36 pm
KEWL !
22 June 2008 at 11:16 pm