Response huge for swimming eagles info

A week or so ago, I asked readers for help after another reader saw an eagle swimming in the ocean, then asked me for a possible explanation.

Knowing that “He was probably training for a triathlon” wouldn’t cut the mustard, I turned to you … the experts … and you came through.

The replies flooded in via phone and e-mail and in person, and all of you made good points. Here’s what some of you had to say:

From R. David White of Millinocket: “I would never claim to be an eagle expert, but as an avid outdoorsman, amateur naturalist and Maine guide, I have, on many occasions, enjoyed being puzzled by the uncanny behavior that is sometimes displayed by our local fauna,” he wrote.

“Several years ago my wife and I were loading our canoe in preparation for a day’s fishing at Nesowadnehunk Deadwater (on the West Branch of the Penobscot) when a pair of low-flying eagles caught our attention.

“The female made straight for a favorite perch in a tall pine on the south bank of the upper end of the deadwater, folded her wings and settled comfortably to watch the action taking place below her,” he wrote. “The male continued to make slow circles about 50 feet above a raft of a dozen or so goldeneyes. A few times he swooped low over the ducks, which made them panic and swim/paddle frantically in zigzag patterns.”

Eventually, the eagle succeeded in singling out a duck, caught it in its talons, and crash-landed in the Penobscot.

“However, the eagle did not abandon its catch. The eagle swam to the northern bank of the deadwater while keeping the goldeneye in the crook of his wing – his “wingpit,” if you will. This was a swim of at least 70 feet,” he wrote.

Eventually, the male made it to shore, dragged his duck aground, and began to prepare lunch.

“At this point the female left her perch, glided across the river and joined her mate for lunch,” White wrote.

Reader Peter Fisher said he once saw a “strange moving object” on the Penobscot River, and upon further scrutiny he realized it was an adult bald eagle. Here’s what happened next:

“It was in the current and utilizing its wings in a rowing sort of manner,” Fisher wrote. “I panicked, thinking I’d have to paddle out and save the poor creature, thinking perhaps I could use my heavy stove gloves to protect myself.

“As I continued to watch, I realized he was headed toward a sandbar and may be able to save himself. Lo and behold, as he reached the beach, I realized his distress was not avoiding drowning, but a reluctance to release his hold on a huge bass. Unless his talons were stuck, he chose to swim in an attempt to savor his catch.”

Some readers said that eagles swim because of that dogged pursuit of their prey. Others said that eagles can’t fly with wet wings, and must dry off after becoming immersed in water. Others said that large fish likely end up killing eagles by diving deep into the water as the bird is either unwilling or unable to release its meal.

And yet another reader, Darrold Dorr, told a story that should have had a happy ending … but a photographic mishap left him with the pictures of his mind’s eye instead.

Here’s what Dorr said:

“About nine or 10 years ago, I was watching one of Somesville’s eagles fish for salmon that had more than likely come over the mill pond dam that fall,” Dorr wrote. “As I watched the eagle leave his perch on his favorite oak tree on the inlet’s bank, he then dove for a fish in the inlet.

“The eagle caught the salmon but was unable to take off. He then swam to a partially exposed rock that was exposed by the outgoing tide and proceeded to eat his fish and take a few sips of water after a few mouthfuls of salmon,” he wrote.

“After finishing his meal he then left the area with what I can assume was a full stomach.

“Those who know me will wonder if I had my usual assortment of camera gear with me and I did, but my once-in-a-lifetime pictures were spoiled because [I used] a roll of slide film that I had rewound and removed from the camera previously and had forgotten when reinserting the film in my camera that I should have advanced the film past the six already exposed frames.”

That’s not saying that the results weren’t spectacular … in an odd way.

“I … had some double exposures of an eagle swimming with a buck deer superimposed over them,” Dorr wrote. “So much for the pictures, but it was still a wonderful thing to have seen.”

Speaking of pictures (if you’re still doubting the fact that eagles actually swim), you’ll want to know about an e-mail from Marty Duffany, a former Bangor-area resident who now lives in New Hampshire.

Duffany said he’d recently learned about swimming eagles through a magazine article and sent along a Web link to photos you may enjoy.

You can find those spectacular eagle photos at www.ketchikanphotos.com/Wildlife/Bald-Eagle-swimming.html.

Thanks to all the readers who took the time to reply, and to share their eagle stories with the rest of us.

John Holyoke can be reached at jholyoke@bangordailynews.net or by calling 990-8214 or 1-800-310-8600.