FINALLY...I Saw them!

[The Eagle]

Hi Guys & Gals,
Believe it or not until Friday I had NEVER seen a real life Bald Eagle. I have heard there are a few around the lake, but never, in my life, had I actually seen one. Then Friday afternoon, while my wife and I were anchored in Moultonborough Bay, near the summer camp, not one, but TWO absolutely beautiful Bald Eagles flew right across the sky in front of us. They were absolutely beautiful, in flight! They flew near the islands in "Smiths Cove," and continued up the lake towards "Greens Basin." It sounds dumb, but I had to tell everyone! They were beautiful! It made my summer complete!
"The Eagle"

[Rattlesnake Gal]

Congratulations to you! And two no less! Eagles are truly special and evoke such strong feelings in many of us. We are so lucky to still have them, seeing how they came very close to extinction.

Originally Posted by The Eagle

It sounds dumb, but I had to tell everyone! They were beautiful! It made my summer complete!

That doesn’t sound dumb at all. It sounds like your forum friends are important to you. Thanks for sharing your excitement - a smile is a happy way to start the day!

[Lin]

glad you got to see them Eagle. We've seen them for a few years up around Hanson Cove/Greene's Basin area and they have been so majestic everytime we've watched them.

[tis]

The eagles are beautiful but it is possible that they stole one of the baby loon chicks in Winter Harbor this summer. They were seen flying overhead after one of the babies disappeared.

[Newbiesaukee]

what eagles do? I can't choose between eagles and loons nor should I. Perhaps that is not what you meant; they are both wonderful.

[arthurc]

Today there were two bald eagles flying high over Jonathans Landing. They were circling higher and higher
Beautiful sight.

[ApS]

Originally Posted by tis

The eagles are beautiful but it is possible that they stole one of the baby loon chicks in Winter Harbor this summer. They were seen flying overhead after one of the babies disappeared.

My experience with watching Bald Eagles here and elsewhere, is that they aren't likely to take a baby Loon chick. A smaller hawk or snapping turtle is the more likely predator, especially where there is a lot of Jet-Ski activity.
There is a popular painting of just such an encounter which could have influenced your observations; however, it is a fanciful painting.

It depicts two adult loons in a stressed pose, protecting their young on the nest from an approaching Bald Eagle. If I could recall the painting more accurately, they may have even been standing upright—something that adult Loons can't do. Loon chicks (Loonlings?) don't hang around their nest very long, either.

Eagles are generally lazy feeders, will feed on carrion, and would sooner pick a dead fish from the lake's surface or shoreline than conduct a hunt.

That said, I've witnessed a Bald Eagle's very sophisticated hunt on a large diving duck that extended over two days. That account, along with another account that suggests that Bald Eagles prefer a prey large enough to be worth the effort, was written to this forum a few years ago.

[kunamola]

It is exciting to see them fly over. On August 19, as we were crossing Melvin Bay, my friends and I were looking up and remarking on how many Monarch Butterflies were flitting around over the water, and what should we see (a bit higher up as the butterflies were all about 6-8 feet above the water) but a bald eagle. Really a nice sight.

[twins]

Gotta have two of everything on the Twin Islands

[Merrymeeting]

Nice eagle story on Channel 4, filmed from Winnipesaukee and Merrymeeting!

http://mmlake.org/forums/showthread.php?t=246

[Frdxplorer]

For as majestic as they look, their screech is equally unmajestic.

[hazelnut]

I was so fortunate to have witnessed a Bald Eagle swooping in for a landing on Cow Island at the Isthmus on the Idlewilde side. I was kayaking with my wife and we did the old double take and "no way" look. Fortunately there was another person coming up behind us in his boat and we looked at him and he nodded with a big smile on his face. We were all in awe. It was a sight I will never forget.

[Island Life]

Originally Posted by Frdxplorer

For as majestic as they look, their screech is equally unmajestic.

You should hear them at sunrise when the babes are taking flying lessons. And remember, sunrise is a bit earlier way up there in the nest.

[Fink2]

A friend sent me this photo taken about 400 ft from their house.

[budman]

The Eagle,

It's funny that you saw two eagles yesrerday. I was on my way home from work yesterday and I saw an eagle on the ice on the Mystic Lakes in Medford Mass. yesterday. I had heard that there has been a nesting pair there for a couple of years but until yesterday I had never seen any and I drive by there every day.

Budman

[KPW]

I have seen eagles three times at the Barber Pole. Once during the winter from the green boathouse, and twice while sitting on my sundeck on Cow. The first time I also had a heron land on a branch about 30' away. I then saw a loon swimming under water chasing a duck about 2' off the deck. It was a great nature day!!

[GTO]

Originally Posted by KPW

I have seen eagles three times at the Barber Pole. Once during the winter from the green boathouse, and twice while sitting on my sundeck on Cow. The first time I also had a heron land on a branch about 30' away. I then saw a loon swimming under water chasing a duck about 2' off the deck. It was a great nature day!!

I have seen them flying off in the distance while anchored in a cove. But at the beginning of this winter, I got a GREAT sighting. I was walking through the woods along the waters edge and I heard a loud noise above me. I looked up and a bald eagle flew about 10 feet over my head. He must of been perched on a branch above my head. I watched as he flew in a large circle around the cove. I tood there in awe but it got better. A second later, the same thing. another one flew about 10 feet over my head and out over the water. I wish someone was there to see it or I had a camera. The wing span on these birds was unbelivable (and I fish but I can't even exaggerate on the size of these birds). To be that close.......once in a lifetime experience.

[twins]

Two eagles, 2 loons and a double rainbow, all at once. If only they would line up for a photo. (only 1 fish though)

[Lakegeezer]

Originally Posted by Acres per Second

My experience with watching Bald Eagles here and elsewhere, is that they aren't likely to take a baby Loon chick.

We saw a bald eagle snatch a loon chick both last year and this year. It happens.

[Misty Blue]

If you're interested in a good look at a nesting pair and their two new eaglets there is a active nest on little loon island on Big Squam lake. The eaglets are just about ready to solo!

If you don't have a boat to launch on the lake the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center tour boats pass right by it and usually stop for a photo op. Way cool.

Misty Blue.

[Senter Cove Guy]

Yesterday we saw one eagle soaring over our house which is in view of the twin islands. Another smaller bird began dive bombing the eagle and chased it away. The eagle turned on its back a couple of times to defend itself but was soon out of sight. The eagle turned on the speed when bothered by the other bird. Eagles can fly 20 - 60 mph in normal flight and can reach 100 mph when diving. This was a pretty cool sight, especially on the 4th of July.

[Misha888]

Originally Posted by twins

Two eagles, 2 loons and a double rainbow, all at once. If only they would line up for a photo. (only 1 fish though)

I see them around the point, and they're magnificent. I never have a camera ready so thank you.

I hope that all the wild life can work in harmony.

[rick35]

I was heading out past Mark Island yesterday and I could have sworn I saw an eagle soaring overhead. I stopped the boat to watch it for a few minutes and thought that I had never seen one around the lake before. Could this be the same one or are there reports of more in the area?

[ApS]

Originally Posted by rick35

"...Could this be the same one or are there reports of more in the area...?"

An Osprey has been fishing near shore from the now-empty Camp Ossipee, and on Thursday, a likely Golden Eagle—noisily announced by crows—headed for The Castle in the Clouds.

These last two weeks, there were so many daily Bald Eagle sightings above my boat that I didn't bother to post about them.

But sleeping in this Sunday morning, my alarm clock at 8:45 was a large feathered object in a shoreline tree screaming, "Kwee-'ERK? Kwee-'ERK? Kwee-'ERK? Kwee-'ERK? Kwee-'ERK?" (The apostrophe means there's a little "hiccup" in that upwardly-inflected call).

After about 15 minutes of this, I ventured outside just as an immense mature Bald Eagle took flight. I'd guess because of her huge size, she was entitled to "crow" about something!

The crows are normally energetic about announcing the unwanted presence of Bald Eagles—so maybe the few crows heard at a distance were mobbing her companion, but smaller, Bald Eagle.

(Maybe).

[Excalibur]

I felt I needed to share this story with all the great people out there that share this place we call Lake Winnipesaukee.

Sunday morning at the lake, the monsoon had past and the sun was gleaming off the white caps out on the lake. In my cove it was quiet and warm with the bright sun. I went out on the dock and there where four small mallard ducks sleeping on the dock. I had walked down the dock to take a picture of a Loon no more the 50 feet from the dock. I have witnessed the Loon attack baby ducks before, but never a lager duck. But after I took my picture and walked back up to the porch I heard the Loon howl. A couple of short hoots that made me jump and turn. All of a sudden the ducks jumped off the dock and sped towards the shore. I first assumed the Loon had attacked the ducks. But they where safe on the dock? They went under the blueberry bushes overhanging the lake. I heard the Loon howl again and noticed the ducks peeking out from under the low hanging bushes. I turned around and looked up to see the bald eagle just finishing a sweep overhead just above the trees. I was so amazed that I forgot I had the camera around my neck. I just watched in awe as the Loons where screaming , the ducks where hiding with a eagle soaring overhead.

Later I did get a picture of the eagle sitting in a tree, but another witness to life in the wild and this amazing place that I enjoy Lake Winnipesaukee.

[Rattlesnake Gal]

I recently had the pleasure of an eagle soaring past low to the water while I was on the deck. It was amazing to see the top view of this magnificent bird! Let me just say that I was very happy that our Cairn terrier was safe inside the camp. This bird of prey looked large enough to pick up the 17 pounds of Mac just like the monkeys in the Wizard of Oz. Sadly this fly by happened so quickly that there just wasn’t time to grab the camera.

[Senter Cove Guy]

We were out in our boat on Sept. 20th heading southeast between the Twin Islands and flasher #12. All of a sudden, these 2 eagles were flying low over the water in the opposite direction to us. They landed on the rocks just west of the Twins. We got fairly close to them and my daughter took this picture.

[upthesaukee]

Nothing else needs to be said.