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Jason McCarty captures red-winged blackbird catching a ride on the back of a bald eagle

FRIDLEY, Minn. — A photograph of a red-winged blackbird riding on the back of a bald eagle has tickled social media followers, while bringing out Photoshop accusations from skeptics.

The Twin Cities photographer who took the photo insists it’s untouched.

“I have the original raw file if they want to see it,” Jason McCarty says to his critics. “I don’t do that with my pictures, what you see is what you get.”


McCarty, an amateur wildlife photographer, was in the north metro a couple weeks ago when he trained his camera on a red-winged blackbird that appeared to be chasing an eagle.

A good photo got even better when the blackbird landed squarely on the eagle’s back as McCarty kept his finger on the shutter.

McCarty estimates the blackbird’s “Eagle Uber” ride lasted between five and ten feet.

He wasn’t sure what he had captured until the birds parted ways. “Until I actually looked,” McCarty says, “and then I went ‘Whoa!”

The episode confirmed what McCarty had already learned about red-winged blackbirds. The birds are fanatically territorial and unafraid to take on anything else that flies their way.

“It's funny to see because they know they're so agile and quick the bigger birds can't do anything to them,” McCarty says.

Score one for the underdogs.

“They're like my schnauzers, little ankle biters,” McCarty says.

I say, I say he has a cousin....

Maybe this is his cousin?

There's a SIGforum metaphor in there somewhere.

We see that all the time at Blackwater NWR. That’s an amazing pic, though!

Those red wings are insane.

-Rob

When smaller birds are "chasing" predator birds they are attempting to peck their eyes out.
That way they crash and burn (being blind).
I see it all the time with two or three small birds kicking ass on hawks and crows.

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:
Maybe this is his cousin?

Not for long....

quote:

Originally posted by USMCE4retired:
When smaller birds are "chasing" predator birds they are attempting to peck their eyes out.
That way they crash and burn (being blind).
I see it all the time with two or three small birds kicking ass on hawks and crows.

I saw a very interesting battle between a blackbird and a hawk while driving home from work last summer.

The two were out over a field alongside the road maybe a few hundred feet up. The hawk decided to go into a steep dive to escape his tormentor and leveled out a few feet above the ground, now heading toward the road and the car in front of me. A few horizontal feet before reaching the pavement, the hawk pulled up into a fighter jet climb and went over the top of the car. The small bird----POOF! Right in the grille.

Was the hawk smart enough to gauge the situation and the small bird not, or was it just a twist of fate that he survived and the the small bird got killed?

A rolling reversal would work well in that situation., or reverse on a hard cross then he could immediately go to guns on him.

Maybe he was deadheading?

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
A rolling reversal would work well in that situation., or reverse on a hard cross then he could immediately go to guns on him.

"If I can't shoot this son of a bitch, let's at least have some fun with him."

quote:

Originally posted by MNSIG:
I saw a very interesting battle between a blackbird and a hawk while driving home from work last summer.

The two were out over a field alongside the road maybe a few hundred feet up. The hawk decided to go into a steep dive to escape his tormentor and leveled out a few feet above the ground, now heading toward the road and the car in front of me. A few horizontal feet before reaching the pavement, the hawk pulled up into a fighter jet climb and went over the top of the car. The small bird----POOF! Right in the grille.

Was the hawk smart enough to gauge the situation and the small bird not, or was it just a twist of fate that he survived and the the small bird got killed?

We can only hope!