Under Bald Eagle Scrutiny

Last April at Duke Island Park I got scrutinized by a Bald Eagle. I'm assuming the eagle was staring intensely at me because it was doing a careful threat assessment since:

  1. This is central New Jersey, so seeing humans shouldn't be an interesting novelty for an eagle.
  2. The eagle could presumably tell at a glance that, being at least 10 times its weight, I wasn't a good candidate for a meal.

Besides being in a tree, the eagle was also across the Raritan River from me, and it decided I wasn't threatening enough to leave a fine perch like this 1. It remained up there as I wandered off.

April 3, 2023 at Duke Island Park
Photo 270607396, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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