Beth, Squeaker & The Eagle

Beth worships this ball. 

Today we were walking along the levee on the Carbon River.  I have been taking the dogs on their walks two at a time rather than all four at once.  This time I had Beth and Ranger.   Beth was in Heaven chasing her squeaker ball.  Ranger was in Heaven sniffing and  peeing in the bushes.

As usual I would throw the ball as we were walking at a nice clip, Beth captured it, then squeaked and squeaked and squeaked.

Today we learned one other species is intrigued by this ball. 

As Beth was obsessively squeaking her ball I heard a very loud "SCREEEECH" right above my head.

I was confused...

Then I heard it again, "SCREEEEECH" this time closer...

Strangely enough the 'screech' sounded amazingly like the darn ball.  Just louder, longer, a bit gravelly and for some reason airborne. 

I looked up.  Swooping approximately 20 feet above my head was a very large bald eagle. 

I saw his eyeball peepers.

He saw my eyeball peepers.

I saw what he was looking at...one Border Collie laying on the ground squeaking her ball over and over and over again.

I calmly asked Beth to leave it...which she did.  I picked the ball up and put it in my pocket and called the dogs close. 

The eagle was entirely too curious for my taste.

As we walked back to the car, he followed us...flying from tree to tree...

Watching....

The Bald Eagle was easily as  big as Beth...if not a tad bigger.  The salmon run on the Carbon has been record numbers - good eating for all of Orting's bald eagles.  The salmon habitat restoration and conservation efforts have increased the amount of nesting pairs of bald eagles in our area..  They are plentiful, healthy and oh so majestic. 

Thankfully a Border Collie wasn't lunch today. *whew*

Here is a neat video of a nesting pair of bald eagles filmed less than 1/2 mile from my house.