[TN-Bird] Re: Bald Eagle, American Coot

Feb. 25, 2005
 
Coots are a favorite food of Bald Eagles. The eagles will circle and dive  
again and again on coots till one just plain wears out and can be plucked from  
the water. They especially like pods of coots for this hunting behavior. Some  
young birds will try the same on a pod of Pied-billed Grebes but they tend to 
 swim underwater for a distance and in the many years I've watched I've only 
seen  one P-B Grebe taken in this manner.
 
At Wapanocca NWR just across the river from Memphis, one year the lake  
almost froze over except for a small hole that a few hundred coots had kept  
open. 
The coots did not have enough runway to take off so they were "sitting  
ducks". The eagles gathered around the hole and would pick them off one by one. 
 
There was the white ice, dark hulking eagles sitting around with piles of black 
 
feather scattered all around. Every once in a while a coot would just get  
frustrated and try to run on the ice for a take off. With their clown like feet 
 
this was impossible and an eagle would fly in pursuit and slide claw first 
into  the coot. They missed some times and then an on foot chase ensued with 
both 
 birds sliding and falling flat. Needless to say few coots made it back to 
the  water.
 
At Sardis Lake in MS, a Common Loon got locked in an ever shrinking open  
hole in the ice. Off and on, for two days we watched 7 eagles sitting around  
this hole and taking turns trying to catch the loon by making it dive again and 
 
again. On the last afternoon, the ice opened up and the lucky loon went to  
bigger water.   
Good  Birding!!!

Jeff R. Wilson
OL'COOT / TLBA
Bartlett,  TN



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