[juanbenae]

there are a couple of them at the lake my family's cabin is at. they nest there and rear chicks every year. by the time we are up on the lake in mid summer you can see them popping their heads out over the nest.

the lake has been infested with pike from fisherman dumping live bait fish in the lake. when we catch them we kill them and throw them off the boat by the nesting area and watch the birds come down and get them. they are huge. the wing span appears to be 6 feet or more.

There are also a couple of bald eagles up there that have been nesting there for the last 12 or 15 years. i get chills when going by the nest and checking them out doing their hunting and stuff. i have been told that the eagles have actually taken ducks that have been shot by hunters prior to the hunter being able to get to them.

bird of prey are pretty cool, and i feel fortunate that i am close enough to rural areas to see them in their natural habitat.