Lake Garfield’s Bald Eagles in 2019

In September 2019, I was sitting on our porch when I heard the screeches of a Bald Eagle that was nesting nearby. Hoping I could see him, I ran down to our dock, clicked on my cell phone and started to search for the bird. To my surprise, two, then a third, appeared over the old Jayson Camp. Two flew high above the lake and then cartwheeled down towards the water. This behavior was all part of courtship and pair bonding. I was amazed that I was able to keep them in sight and delighted to share this video with you. — Babs Wolinsky

Cartwheeling Bald Eagles 

The Bald Eagle, the avian master of the skies frequently seen soaring over Lake Buel and Lake Garfield, is a high profile raptor along shorelines that offer a diet of fish, its favorite prey. As our national bird, its stellar character image is somewhat tarnished by often stealing fish from the clutches of an osprey in flight, rather than diving down to catch one for itself, or being seen feasting on carrion fish along a water’s edge. However, its reputation is redeemed for aerial bravery and strength by the spectacular acrobatics of two males engaged in a cartwheeling descent, as illustrated. It is a most daring and breathtaking maneuver when two eagles compete for a mate or a nesting site. They attack each other in circles, locking their talons together to twirl and plummet downward out of control, often for thousands of feet. 

During the nesting season, eagles in competition often fly so high that the sight of them tumbling down towards the ground makes a lasting impression. Last year a local resident from Buzzards Bay near our home watched as two males in deadly combat for a mate, rolled over and around each other, lifting their talons in defense until grabbing and becoming locked together, plummeting down out of sight. They were located where they had landed, still attached, and in shock, on the deck of a beach cottage. They refused to let go until a tarp was thrown over them, and then they disengaged, and flew off away on their own. At our seaside terrace on Little Bay in Fairhaven we have been quite often entertained by bird watching exhibitions, providing experiences to write and illustrate for News readers. 

Bald Eagles are not always easy to distinguish from other birds of prey. Their eyesight is amazing, with up to seven times the focusing ability of ours. Their eyes are set apart so they have 340° field of vision, giving them exceptional peripheral vision. Each eye is protected from the glint of the sun, up in the clouds where the air is thin and the atmosphere ethereal. If you are like me, looking for inspiration to write, I am reminded of the religious prayer for earthly worship, “I will lift mine eyes unto the hills from which cometh my help.” I will perhaps be blessed with the memory to share with you of an eagle high over Lake Garfield, circling and soaring, as well as a pair cartwheeling down into your thoughts, sparking a sudden environmental awareness. The experience is unforgettable. — George Emmons, Monterey News, January 2021­