this link from yahoo "Awesome" photo a hit for Westminster birder - The Denver Post today reminded me of a good story i got via email a while back:
Subject: Kill em and Eat em....great aviation story
This came from a gent who runs a 2000 acre corn farm up around Barron , WI
not far from Oshkosh . He used to fly F-4Es and F-16s for the Guard and
participated in the first Gulf War... Submitted for your enjoyment, and
as a reminder that there are other great, magnificent flyers around
besides us.
I went out to plant corn for a bit to finish a
field before tomorrow morning and witnessed The Great Battle . A golden
eagle - big bastard, about six foot wingspan - flew right in front of
the tractor. It was being chased by three crows that were continually
dive bombing it and pecking at it. The crows do this because the eagles
rob their nests when they find them.
At any rate, the eagle banked hard right in one evasive maneuver,
then landed in the field about 100 feet from the tractor. This eagle
stood about 3 feet tall. The crows all landed too and took up positions
around the eagle at 120 degrees apart, but kept their distance at about 20 feet from the big bird.
The eagle would take a couple steps towards one of the crows and they'd hop backwards
and forward to keep their distance. Then the reinforcement showed up.
I happened to spot the eagle's mate hurtling down out of the sky at
what appeared to be approximately Mach 1.5. Just before impact the eagle
on the ground took flight, (obviously a coordinated tactic; probably
pre-briefed) and the three crows which were watching the grounded eagle,
also took flight thinking they were going to get in some more pecking on
the big bird.
The first crow being targeted by the diving eagle never
stood a snowball's chance in hell. There was a mid-air explosion of
black feathers and that crow was done. The diving eagle then banked hard
left in what had to be a 9G climbing turn, using the energy it had
accumulated in the dive, and hit crow #2 less than two seconds later.
Another crow dead.
The grounded eagle, which was now airborne and had an altitude
advantage on the remaining crow, which was streaking eastward in full
burner, made a short dive then banked hard right when the escaping crow
tried to evade the hit. It didn't work - crow #3 bit the dust at about
20 feet altitude.
This aerial battle was better than any air show I've been to,
including the warbirds show at Oshkosh ! The two eagles ripped the crows
apart and ate them on the ground, and as I got closer and closer working
my way across the field, I passed within 20 feet of one of them as it
ate its catch. It stopped and looked at me as I went by and you could
see in the look of that bird that it knew who's Boss Of The Sky. What a
beautiful bird!
I love it. Not only did they kill their enemy, they ate them.
One of the best Fighter Pilot stories I've seen in a long time
-----------------------------
The lesson: If you're forced to fight, give no quarter.
It's good to have back-up from your mate though.
Subject: Kill em and Eat em....great aviation story
This came from a gent who runs a 2000 acre corn farm up around Barron , WI
not far from Oshkosh . He used to fly F-4Es and F-16s for the Guard and
participated in the first Gulf War... Submitted for your enjoyment, and
as a reminder that there are other great, magnificent flyers around
besides us.
I went out to plant corn for a bit to finish a
field before tomorrow morning and witnessed The Great Battle . A golden
eagle - big bastard, about six foot wingspan - flew right in front of
the tractor. It was being chased by three crows that were continually
dive bombing it and pecking at it. The crows do this because the eagles
rob their nests when they find them.
At any rate, the eagle banked hard right in one evasive maneuver,
then landed in the field about 100 feet from the tractor. This eagle
stood about 3 feet tall. The crows all landed too and took up positions
around the eagle at 120 degrees apart, but kept their distance at about 20 feet from the big bird.
The eagle would take a couple steps towards one of the crows and they'd hop backwards
and forward to keep their distance. Then the reinforcement showed up.
I happened to spot the eagle's mate hurtling down out of the sky at
what appeared to be approximately Mach 1.5. Just before impact the eagle
on the ground took flight, (obviously a coordinated tactic; probably
pre-briefed) and the three crows which were watching the grounded eagle,
also took flight thinking they were going to get in some more pecking on
the big bird.
The first crow being targeted by the diving eagle never
stood a snowball's chance in hell. There was a mid-air explosion of
black feathers and that crow was done. The diving eagle then banked hard
left in what had to be a 9G climbing turn, using the energy it had
accumulated in the dive, and hit crow #2 less than two seconds later.
Another crow dead.
The grounded eagle, which was now airborne and had an altitude
advantage on the remaining crow, which was streaking eastward in full
burner, made a short dive then banked hard right when the escaping crow
tried to evade the hit. It didn't work - crow #3 bit the dust at about
20 feet altitude.
This aerial battle was better than any air show I've been to,
including the warbirds show at Oshkosh ! The two eagles ripped the crows
apart and ate them on the ground, and as I got closer and closer working
my way across the field, I passed within 20 feet of one of them as it
ate its catch. It stopped and looked at me as I went by and you could
see in the look of that bird that it knew who's Boss Of The Sky. What a
beautiful bird!
I love it. Not only did they kill their enemy, they ate them.
One of the best Fighter Pilot stories I've seen in a long time
-----------------------------
The lesson: If you're forced to fight, give no quarter.
It's good to have back-up from your mate though.
