Golden Warriors
Prior to buying our land, I had seen one golden eagle in my life. We were traveling through Dubois, Wyoming, and pulled over to search through our binoculars for bighorn sheep. Instead we caught sight of a large golden eagle soaring over the horizon, possibly looking for sheep just as we were but, in his case, hoping to make a meal of a hapless ovine.
Golden eagle perched in a tree near my home.
Since building our home in Wyoming many years ago, there is rarely a day that goes by that I don’t have the opportunity to see at least one golden eagle. The closest active nest actually seems to be on the adjacent BLM land but that doesn’t stop the large raptors from spending a large part of each day perched on a sandstone formation on our property, searching for cottontails or other tasty morsels.
Golden eagles have a lifespan of thirty years or more so there is a good chance that the eagle I saw the day we first hiked the property is the same one I was seeing right up until the last year. Depending on where they live, the birds may migrate but we seem to live in that zone where they are comfortable hanging out year round.
The eagle nicknamed “Helmet Head” by my husband because of her beautiful golden head sits on the fence while surveying her domain.
Our current resident pair that seems to have moved in mid-summer, 2020. Neither one is as large as “Helmet Head” but I am hoping they hang around for as many years as she did.
Despite their size and the strength of their talons, the large birds are often harassed mercilessly by smaller birds.
The eagles and the ravens seem to tolerate each other all winter but once nesting time arrives, the ravens will attack the golden eagles if they land within a half mile of the raven nest.
If you look closely at this image, you will see that the eagle (Helmet Head) has feathers on her beak. I took this shot the week the kestrel chicks fledged and I suspect the eagle picked off one of the young birds, inviting the wrath of the male kestrel.
Every time I watch one of these battles take place, I expect to see the eagles take out the smaller birds, especially when I observe the ravens pulling on the tail feathers of their much larger targets, but the smaller birds are usually quicker and able to maneuver out of the way of the deadly talons.
Even violet-green swallows will try to harass the eagle if it lands near their nesting sites.
Over the years we have witnessed the arrival of several young golden eagles from the nearby nest although never more than one at a time and often several years apart.
The youngsters are much more tolerant of our presence and may land quite close to the house as they practice their hunting techniques. They are also much more vocal than the adults, announcing their arrival well in advance.
A young golden eagle tests its wings on top of a sandstone formation just outside my front door.
A golden eagle’s legs hang down in the few seconds after takeoff.
Like so many species in the age of global warming, golden eagles face an uncertain future as the animals that make up their food sources are forced to adapt or disappear with changing conditions. That, and loss of habitat due to an increasing human population are just two of the looming threats to their survival.
I will be forever grateful that I have had the opportunity to experience these amazing golden warriors in my life.