I saw an eagle try to get a baby loon last year at a lake in Maine. The mama loon was on the spot though. The eagle came in fast and low, mama loon raised a terrific racket and got between the chick and the eagle. They struck together and the eagle flew away without its prize. Loons are large, strong birds. Quite a sight to see. After that both parents stayed right by the chick for a while. I do like loons better than eagles. Hopefully the expanding eagle population doesn’t put too much pressure on the loons. Loons have about 3 chicks every year but only about 1 year out of 3 do any of them survive, even with both parents protecting them. They make up for it by being very long lived birds (30 years or more).
America’s bald eagle population continues to soar
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Re: America’s bald eagle population continues to soar
#232Earlier quoted context omitted.
Bird-lovers have pushed an anti-lead agenda (for hunting) for decades and have been highly successful. They continue to make inroads into banning use of lead entirely: "Bald eagles across the United States are dying from lead poisoning": https://edition.cnn.com/2020/02/16/us/bald-eagles-dying-lead... "CALIFORNIA'S LEAD AMMO BAN IN EFFECT JULY 1[2019]": https://www.gohunt.com/read/news/californias-lead-ammo-ban-i... I…
What a hyperbolic reply. We just want them to use steel shot. It's really not a big deal.
...says somebody who doesn't shoot. Its a big deal. Steel shot isn't just about being a different metal. Its about a quarter of the specific gravity. A quarter of the momentum.
You shoot steel from the same barrel as lead, it's a quite different effect. Range, drop, spread are all different, and lesser.
Re: America’s bald eagle population continues to soar
#233This seems as good a time/place as any to remind everyone that the sound an eagle makes isn't the screech Hollywood has made you believe it is (that's a red-tailed hawk). It's actually relatively non-macho (for a superpower's mascot anyway) and sounds like it's laughing. The hawk says: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-tailed_Hawk/sounds The eagle says: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Bald_Eagle/sounds
in that recording the eagle was just chatting not in an aggressive attack mode so its not a screech sound
Re: America’s bald eagle population continues to soar
#234Son and I saw a bald eagle 5 days ago (WC FL).
Re: America’s bald eagle population continues to soar
#235Earlier quoted context omitted.
There’s also a stock audio sound for police radio chatter that is the same as the one in SimCity 2000. Every time I hear that (which is too often) I can’t help but think “well, you cheaped out on sound design"
I noticed that too! I thought I was going crazy until I started compiling a list of them... "We need a dispatchment 148...mumble mumble...ksshhh" [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dklA4-ACN4k
"7806 code 5, north and garbled street"
I first heard that playing one of the first (top down) GTA games and hear it in half the police dramas I watch.
Re: America’s bald eagle population continues to soar
#236Earlier quoted context omitted.
What a hyperbolic reply. We just want them to use steel shot. It's really not a big deal.
...says somebody who doesn't shoot. Its a big deal. Steel shot isn't just about being a different metal. Its about a quarter of the specific gravity. A quarter of the momentum. You shoot steel from the same barrel as lead, it's a quite different effect. Range, drop, spread are all different, and lesser.
That convenience is worth the terrible environmental impact to you?
Re: America’s bald eagle population continues to soar
#237Hopefully this is false news.
Re: America’s bald eagle population continues to soar
#238As superpower mascots go, I think the eagle turned out to be pretty much perfect. Large, powerful, masters of their environment, noble from a distance. Up close, easily scared, shameless scavengers who love the opportunity to steal prey from other creatures. Note: No intention of starting a political conversation, as a resident of said superpower I just love the irony.
We detached this subthread from https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26571968.
Re: America’s bald eagle population continues to soar
#239Man, I really want to see one some day! Made me think of this story telling of an eagle allegedly swooping down and snatching a toddler right from the ground on the island Leka in Norway. She was apparently playing in a blanket, so the talons didn't scratch her, but she was carried almost two kilometres away. The ordeal triggered a search party that eventually found her almost 200 metres up the mountain side, unschat…
I wish the Haast eagle was still around. They were just massive and hunted Moa. They were likely hunted by humans. I guess I should be careful what I wish for. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haast%27s_eagle
It's sad, but it's why most peeps over here never share the location of breeding grounds or habitats with strangers.
Re: America’s bald eagle population continues to soar
#240Earlier quoted context omitted.
...says somebody who doesn't shoot. Its a big deal. Steel shot isn't just about being a different metal. Its about a quarter of the specific gravity. A quarter of the momentum. You shoot steel from the same barrel as lead, it's a quite different effect. Range, drop, spread are all different, and lesser.
That convenience is worth the terrible environmental impact to you?
The environmental impact has not been measured in a meaningful way. Its hyperbole so far. And its not convenience; its a necessity for many.