Strange eagle behavior and questions

[littleduckfl]

Yesterday, while I was in the house an eagle was in the oak in the backyard screeching loudly. I ran outside grabbed my free ranging duck and put him in his inside pen. Later, that day I put him back out and stayed with him and the eagle returned doing exactly the same thing. The brave drake tried his best to scare him off before I could grab him. The eagle is an juvenile American Bald Eagle. The oak tree is also home to squirrels, could this be the reason for the eagle's odd behavior?

Needless, to say, I woke up early and finally finished up his outside pen and covered it with aviary netting. I am going to completely finish predator proofing it later on this week but at least he can go outside during the day while I'm home. The duck actually seems happy to be covered. Am I being overprotective? Will I be able to let him roam the yard again?

 

[desertdarlene]

I would definitely protect your ducks from an eagle. I just saw a series of photos where a bald eagle caught a full-grown duck and carried it back to the nest, so I know that eagles eat ducks. It may be that, for now, the eagle hasn't chosen your duck for food and is thinking about other things, but I wouldn't give it the opportunity to take the duck later on.

 

[deerman]

Bald Eagles , are fish eagles. The ducks are sure taken by them. My guess that 2nd on their list, as they hang around bodies of Water.

 

[Imp]

Are you sure it was the eagle screeching? A couple years ago I heard an eagle screeching in my backyard, I was outside in a flash, to protect the chickens. I was looking up at the roof for the eagle. Couldn't figure out why I could not see it, I knew it was within a few feet of me. Finally realized it was coming from under the deck. Then I couldn't figure out why an eagle would crawl under the deck either. I laid down on the ground and looked under the deck. One of my feral cats had caught a squirrel, and it was the squirrel screaming. I grew up in Alaska and know eagle screams, it sounded exactly the same.

If the eagle is intent on getting your ducks, be very cautious. They used to take cats and small dogs where I grew up.

Imp

 

[Lbrad7]

I think your ducks were VERY lucky that you were there.

 

[littleduckfl]

Unfortunately, I saw the eagle with my own eyes, but it does sound a lot like when my dog used to catch squirrels and they would scream.

I thought it was a hawk because of the odd coloring, but after some research, I found out that juvenile bald eagles don't have the same coloring as adult. The neighbors tell me that it has carried off feral kittens and hurt the mother cat really bad.

 

[zazouse]

It's calling mom and dad to help it get a meal,good thing you were there.

We had a pair reintroduced to our area in 2006 ,i did not know it till last year, i kept hearing what i thought was an eagle but keep dismissing it since i had never seen them here in my whole life, well when the hawks migrated over i saw a pair fly right over my farm so i looked it up on the net and found out about the reintroduction and found they are nesting 5 mile by air from our farm.

Haven't seen them again, hope i don't but i swear i heard one a few days ago in the distance.

If they happen on my place again i am in big trouble, i have almost 500 free range birds now.

All i can do is pray bottle works will deter them like it does the red tails

 

[littleduckfl]

I saw that FWC keeps a list of known Bald Eagle nests and we have 2 within 2 miles of our house. It doesn't say if these were reintroduced or what. I just called TSC and asked if they had any larger netting to cover another area of the yard and he said they did but hurry because the Eagles are a real problem this year trying to get little dogs and people are buying it like crazy. My DH says that he will build a solid surface roofing because he doesn't want to try to untangle an eagle from the netting.

Also,I forgot to mention in original post that we have several shiny things in the backyard, including 2 large Plexiglas mirrors in the duck area. Could this of been the cause of the eagle screeching?

I hope the eagles stay far away from your flock.

 

[BlackBart]

I've seen Bald Eagles, pick off Squirrels from the side of a tree, wild ducks from a pond, a small dog on a leash and Seagulls.
Around here the juvenile Eagles scream a lot. Somebody told me it was to do with setting up territory.

 

[SteveP]

A lot of the screaming has to do with establishing one territory, they are basically calling to other eagles in the area to come and fight if they want that particular branch as a theirs. Although I have seen red tail hawks and such screech from a fence post to flush up quail. Keep that duck covered and protected or it will become eagle dinner. On my last trip to Canada I watched a momma eagle and here chicks hunt a loon for almost a half an hour then finally killed it and carried it away with ease, they are fish birds but are predators as well and will catch and kill what they can when they can. You have to tell me though was it not amazing to see a fledgling eagle?????

Steve