Wild Video Captures Bald Eagle Carrying Off Canada Goose
It's unclear if the goose was still alive while being carried off.
- Co-author of two Gen X pop-culture encyclopedia for Penguin Books. Won "Headline Writer of the Year" award for 2017, 2014 and 2013 from the American Copy Editors Society. Won first place in headline writing from the 2013 Society for Features Journalism.
Things didn't look good for this Canada goose.
America and Canada are (mostly) peaceful neighbors, but it seems their two avian symbols don't always get along. Recently, security cameras at Grant Public Utility District in Washington state captured a strange sight: a majestic bald eagle flying into view with a hapless Canada goose clutched in its talons.
"This is something you don't see every day," a representative for the utility posted on Facebook. "Even at Wanapum Dam!"
According to the Tacoma News Tribune, even control room employees didn't believe what they saw at first and had to rewind the security video.
Christine Pratt, a spokesperson for Grant PUD, told the paper employees were surprised the eagle was able to carry such a large bird, saying, "A Canada goose can easily outweigh an eagle."
The goose's fate is unknown, although Joe Buchanan, a wildlife biologist with the state's Department of Fish and Wildlife, told the paper he thinks the goose was already dead when taken by the eagle, because the video didn't show it fighting to get free.
Employees saw the eagle land on a lamppost with the goose, and then another eagle, possibly mate to the first one, joined them.
A few Facebook commenters made jokes.
"Wow. It's a classic USA vs Canada situation," one wrote.
Said another, "Looks like that eagle is having goose for Xmas."
And another person wrote, "Birds caught on to Uber."
