Unbelievable

If I had not been there, I would not believe it.  But I indeed, I was there to see it.  And luckily, someone with a video camera has captured it happening in another time and place.

We had dinner out a few nights ago at a local restaurant called The Pier.  It is, as the name would imply, built out over the Mississippi River.  Across the narrow channel in this part of the river is a small island.  And while it's a bit late in the season, bald eagles are still nesting there.

Initially we saw one eagle fly from one tree to another.  Then a second eagle flew out of the trees with the first in pursuit.  They passed at each other out over the river, then passed at each other a second time as they swooped down near the water.  This time, one was hit by the other and it went down, right in the middle of the channel.

We were horrified.  The bird was nowhere to be seen and we assumed that it was drowning.  After about a minute, one wing popped out of the water.  Then a second wing.  By that time, everyone in the restaurant was watching.  And I was thinking we might have to call a local veterinarian who keeps a shelter for large birds.  But then, that bird started swimming.  It's wings were executing some sort of a butterfly stroke, coming up out of the water at the same time and then circling back down into the river.  It swam fast.  And with determination.  Even against flow of the channel which was mighty after several days of rain.  It made it to a log just off the shore of the island and pulled itself onto the log.  The eagle sat there for 10 minutes and then awkwardly, flew to a tree on shore.  We lost track of it after that.

Evidently, this is not unusual.  Often, eagles will catch a fish so large that they are unable to take flight out of the water and rather than let the fish go, they will swim with the fish to shore.  But we never saw a fish.  So maybe it was stunned.  I don't know enough about how territorial these birds are or if they will fight each other when mating or nesting.  But in any case, it was amazing.