Kill 'em and Eat 'em....A Great Aviation Story

[valhalla]

This came from a gent who runs a 2000 acre corn farm up around  Barron, WI.  He used to fly F-4Es and F-16s for the Guard and participated in the first Gulf War. Submitted for your enjoyment, and as a reminder that there are other great, magnificent flyers around besides us.

"I went out to plant corn for a bit to finish a field before tomorrow morning and witnessed The Great  Battle .. A golden eagle - big bastard, with about a six foot wingspan - flew right in front of the tractor.  It was being chased by three crows that were continually dive bombing it and pecking at it. The crows do this because the eagles rob their nests when they find them.

At any rate, the eagle banked hard right in one evasive maneuver, then landed in the field about 100 feet from the tractor. This eagle stood about 3 feet tall. The crows all landed too, and took up positions around the eagle at 120 degrees apart, but kept their distance at about 20 feet from the big bird. The eagle would take a couple steps towards one of the crows and they'd hop backwards and forward to keep their distance. Then the reinforcement showed up.

I happened to spot the eagle's mate hurtling down out of the sky at what appeared to be approximately Mach 1.5. Just before impact the eagle on the ground took flight, (obviously a coordinated tactic; probably pre-briefed) and the three crows which were watching the grounded eagle, also took flight thinking they were going to get in some more pecking on the big bird.

The first crow being targeted by the diving eagle never stood a snowball's chance in hell. There was a mid-air explosion of black feathers and that crow was done. The diving eagle then banked hard left in what had to be a 9G climbing turn, using the energy it had accumulated in the dive, and hit crow #2 less than two seconds later.  Another crow dead.

The grounded eagle, which was now airborne and had an altitude advantage on the remaining crow, which was streaking eastward in full burner, made a short dive then banked hard right when the escaping crow tried to evade the hit. It didn't work - crow #3 bit the dust at about 20 feet AGL.

This aerial battle was better than any air show I've been to, including the warbirds show at Oshkosh.  The two eagles ripped the crows apart and ate them on the ground, and as I got closer and closer working my way across the field, I passed within 20 feet of one of them as it ate its catch. It stopped and looked at me as I went by and you could see in the look of that bird that it knew who's Boss Of The Sky. What a beautiful bird!

I loved it. Not only did they kill their enemy, they ate them."

[MAK]

That's one intense little story! Nature can be brutal just like the civilized world. Not for the faint of heart! 

[Donna]

That's one intense little story! Nature can be brutal just like the civilized world. Not for the faint of heart! 

I would have crow-ked if I saw that. Whoa. I am one of those "faint of hearts"! My heart was pounding as I read it. I'm so weak.

[Bird Crazy]

that would have been cool to see. I probably would of wrecked the tractor though. Now don't get me wrong I like crows and I am sorry they got killed but weren't they asking for it just a bit? They should of chased the eagle away and then left, not keep taunting it. There is a moral in there somewhere.

[Annette]

What a story 

[Bobbie Ireland]

Whoa-ho! Now that's a good one!!!

[MAK]

That's one intense little story! Nature can be brutal just like the civilized world. Not for the faint of heart! 

I would have crow-ked if I saw that. Whoa. I am one of those "faint of hearts"! My heart was pounding as I read it. I'm so weak.

You're not weak, you just have a sensitive spot for all creatures. Well, there are a couple exceptions. 

[rssport]

that would have been cool to see. I probably would of wrecked the tractor though. Now don't get me wrong I like crows and I am sorry they got killed but weren't they asking for it just a bit? They should of chased the eagle away and then left, not keep taunting it. There is a moral in there somewhere.

Never heard of anything that ate crow.

[Wing Goose]

AMEN to everyone's comments.  Great story and ending.
 
     
       Lola

[valhalla]

Never heard of anything that ate crow.

I've been known to do so on very rare occasions   

[Bobbie Ireland]

Never heard of anything that ate crow.

I've been known to do so on very rare occasions   

Atta Girl, Janet - wish I had thought of that!!