Those are impressive toenails.

That is an incredible predator.

That would be both fun and terrifying, seeing how that bird could literally rip your face off. . .

Somebody needs a pedicure.

Yeah, I wouldn’t try that.

The bird does seem to be enjoying it . . . .

flashguy

Nice to see him being treated so kindly

Is the bird gripping rubber balls?

flashguy

quote:

Originally posted by flashguy:
Is the bird gripping rubber balls?

flashguy

No, those are the talons.

That is a Golden Eagle.

Wow. There is a whole lot of SHARP on that bird.

Beautiful animals....if you are ever in the Auburn / Opelika area call ahead and make an appointment with the Southeastern Raptor Center for a tour. I took my boys and they loved it.

https://www.vetmed.auburn.edu/raptor/

quote:

Originally posted by flashguy:
The bird does seem to be enjoying it . . . .

flashguy

Based on that we can assume Golden Eagles are not like scratching a cat's belly, where they will turn on you all of a sudden and sink their teeth and claws into your forearm in a blink of an eye. Golden Eagles are the most majestic raptors in the skies. I remember deer hunting in a large Maryland marsh in the dead of winter. Golden Eagles were all over the place. Just watching them made the hunt memorable. There were no deer however, I guess they ate them all.

I had an insider tour of Charleston Center For Birds Of Prey when picking up a baby owl, they let a flightless Bald Eagle out to escort us around the center.

He was big as a goose and just followed us around the grounds making his eagle chattering sound. You could pet his knotty head and scratch his back. His talons were worn down from having to walk around.

Bald Eagles are pretty chill if they aren't on a nest. However, those feeties could severely injure you if they chose to do so.

Man, there’s a pucker factor just watching that.

As adorable as that is and as much as it made me smile in a world full of non stop frowns all that came to mind was……

NOPE NOPE NOPE. That happy bastard is a flying food processor. I am glad he and his massager are happy but I am not looking for a volunteer sheet.

quote:

Originally posted by Mars_Attacks:

Bald Eagles are pretty chill if they aren't on a nest. However, those feeties could severely injure you if they chose to do so.

I was in Homer, Alaska, watching HUNDREDS of Bald Eagles fight over fish guts (Homer is a huge Halibut fishing venue). I got really close to take photos, but I soon realized that I was getting close to some huge predators who were eating. I imagined what those talons could do to my face, and I quickly backed off. . .

Gorgeous birds. On my first trip to Homer, I saw ONE Bald Eagle. I sat and watched it for several minutes, as this was the first time I had ever seen one in the wild. THEN, I drove around the corner, and saw about 300 of them just hanging out in a parking lot. Apparently, they winter down in South Alaska, and head into the interior as it warms up (this was in May). . .

There's a whole bunch of trust on both sides of that video.

Anyone know the back story to how those two go to be so trusting with each other?

It took a lot of test tickles.

quote:

Originally posted by Johnny 3eagles:
It took a lot of test tickles.

I see what you did there . . . !

flashguy