Eagle has learned to find road kills

[Okanagan]

A few days ago I was startled to see a BIG bald eagle just off the shoulder of Highway 101, sitting on a deer carcass.  No camera along and not a good place to stop and take a pic.  He was maybe 20 feet from me as I flashed past.  We see a lot of eagles and this one seemed kind of bulky and fat.

Yesterday, 12 miles up the same highway, my wife and I were surprised to see a big bald eagle sitting on a freshly killed deer just off the shoulder of the road.  No proof, but I'd guess it is the same bird, who has learned to patrol the highway looking for road kills to scavenge. 

[nastygunz]

Hes eating good.

[Hawks Feather]

I have seen at least a half-dozen sitting on road kill deer around here. Three in the area of a nest. I just figure it is easy pickings for them.

[JohnP]

We see few down here and those we do see are Goldens.  We once had a pair of Goldens nest in our canyon. However, up north there are plenty.

[Okanagan]

I have seen at least a half-dozen sitting on road kill deer around here. Three in the area of a nest. I just figure it is easy pickings for them.

Interesting.

We see them on dead livestock out in fields but I don't recall seeing an eagle on roadkill, which is odd come to think of it.  I probably haven't been paying attention!

[bambam]

Eagles ain't much better than buzzards in my opinion. Most of the ones around here live off dead animals, although they can kill if they need to.

[FinsnFur]

Tons of Eagles here. They love the Mississippi Valley as much as I do.
You can cruise the timber lined pasture roads here anytime and find eagle gnawing on Deer carcasses in the ditches and field edges.
And I love seeing em

[Hawks Feather]

The American Bald Eagle has been making a strong comeback in Ohio. Years ago, the only nest that I knew of was on the Camp Perry base. That nest had been there for years, and it finally fell because of the weight. DNR, with help from my cousin who was in the state legislature and piloted the Bald Eagle license plate with funding going to the DNR eagle project. He also worked to get the eagle project additional funding with the requirement that it MUST be used ONLY for that project. DNR took him along on a banding day and he go to go up to the nest. He said that it was the worst smelling place that he had ever been with rotting animal parts, but the baby eaglets were pretty cute. There are now six nests in about a 10 mile stretch of the river outside of town. It is fun to go out to the river and see them flying around.

[JohnP]

Give your cousin a pat on the back from an old soldier out in the desert.

[nastygunz]

They taste like chicken 

[FinsnFur]

@nastygunz  wtf

[nastygunz]

Hehe.... the price of groceries lately I might have to start living on roadkill.

[Okanagan]

Hehe.... the price of groceries lately I might have to start living on roadkill.

I've eaten a couple of road kill deer in the past year or two, plus my grandsons have taken one or two.  In WA State we can salvage roadkill and only have to report it online, no license or anything.  We are not supposed to finish off an injured animal and we have to remove all trace of it off of the road right of way.

We are very selective, and I've passed on 15 or 20 in the past year.  I.e. one early Fall morning my grandson phoned and asked if I wanted a deer.  Sure.

He and a game warden were at my door within three minutes.  The deer had been hit less than a mile from our house and finished off by an officer. We hung it to process sooner after it died than most I've killed while hunting.  It had a broken foreleg, no other damage at all.  Tasty fork horn buck. 

 

[nastygunz]

Don't see too many roadkill deer up here. There is a system in place where you can get put on a list if they have a roadkill deer and it is salvageable.