![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/golden-eagle-4321-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"golden-eagle-4321-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\nThree days ago while driving a fairly remote road we spotted this\u00a0sub-adult Golden Eagle perched atop a power pole in northern Utah. Lately I’ve largely given up even trying to photograph\u00a0raptors on power poles because of\u00a0issues with ugly perches,\u00a0wires and steep angles but I find it very difficult to drive by a Golden Eagle so I stopped and took a few documentary images and hoped I might get lucky with some takeoff shots.<\/p>\n
We also\u00a0noticed a second eagle on a power pole down the line but at this point we didn’t pay much attention to it.\u00a0Notice the somewhat unusual\u00a0white “eyebrows” on this bird that are helpful in distinguishing it from the other eagle that we’re about to see.<\/p>\n
This\u00a0eagle\u00a0took off mostly away from me so I started to drive down the road again. As I\u00a0began to get a little closer to the second eagle on\u00a0the faraway pole\u00a0we noticed this one\u00a0turn in the air and begin to fly in the direction of the perched bird so I hurried on down the road in the hopes of seeing some kind of interaction or altercation\u00a0as the “eyebrow” eagle approached the other bird.<\/p>\n
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I stopped my pickup and aimed my lens just in time to photograph the beginning of the\u00a0encounter. At this point I could see that both birds were sub-adults. I thought there was going to be an aggressive encounter and from the posture of the perched bird\u00a0I suspect it might have been prepared for the same thing but it soon became apparent…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n that the intention of the approaching eagle was to land on top of the insulator with the other eagle. But there appeared to be no room for both huge birds on that perch so I figured one bird would vacate the premises, perhaps after a brief squabble. But I was wrong.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Both eagles were stubborn and reluctant to give up the perch so they tussled and jockeyed for position on the insulator. It lasted long enough that I took 14 shots with one bird still in the air but so close to the other one that they were obviously in physical contact with each other the entire time.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Soon\u00a0the two birds had all four feet on the perch but they were still trying to make room for their large bodies.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Eventually they were both able to stay atop the perch. I believe they\u00a0were able to accomplish the feat because each\u00a0bird appeared to place one foot on the insulator and the other on the adjacent wire. The “coziness” of the pair leads me to believe that they\u00a0are siblings.<\/p>\n They stayed here for quite a while before they both\u00a0flew off. At that point I figured the excitement was over but once again\u00a0I was wrong. I drove further down the road and then noticed one of the eagles had landed on another pole in front of me and the second bird flying toward it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Once again I rushed toward them hoping to get close enough to them in time\u00a0for documentary shots of the developing encounter. I barely made it. Here the perched\u00a0eagle (this time roles were reversed and the “eyebrow” bird was the one that was already perched) is turning on the insulator in preparation for meeting\u00a0the incoming eagle head on.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n And here it comes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n But at the last moment the perched eagle decided that discretion\u00a0was the better part of valor and vacated the insulator…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n just prior to the interloper claiming it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n That bird stayed on the insulator for a few minutes and then defecated and took off (away from me of course). At that point I left the area looking for other birds.<\/p>\n Seeing this\u00a0fascinating behavior made me wonder how many times these two birds have done the same thing since they left the nest early last summer (assuming they’re siblings). And it also makes me curious as to precisely why they do it.<\/p>\n I may not know the reason for the behavior but I was absolutely delighted to have witnessed it.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n Note – Most of these shots\u00a0were taken\u00a0at or close to the following image techs:<\/em><\/p>\n Addendum: There’s been some interest in the comments below\u00a0in an encounter Barby Anderson had with a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk and a squirrel.\u00a0 She sent me some photos and I’ve included one of them below with Barby’s permission. If interested you can learn more about it in her comment.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n\n