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Nov. 25, 2010
Eagles in Garrett County are on the prowl this time of the year for whatever variety of migrating bird happens to be taking a break on the surface of Deep Creek Lake. Pete Versteegen watched the eagle try to grab one of these traveling American coots. Versteegen said this is the third year in a row he has watched the eagles go after this particular water fowl. He has seen the eagles catch large fish, and one time did witness the great bird flying off with a coot. This year the eagle was unsuccessful. “It tried unsuccessfully for about 45 minutes. After 15 minutes it sat in a tree along the shore, resting, and looking for about 10 minutes,” Versteegen said. “At one time it dove after a coot, but missed it, and then sat in the water like a duck for about three minutes before taking off again.” The great bird eventually gave up and moved on. Versteegen said the photo was taken from his deck with a 300mm lens. Another bird will be “enjoyed” this week by millions of Americans — the turkey, which Benjamin Franklin thought should be the country’s official bird instead of the one shown here. To all our readers we wish a very happy Thanksgiving.
