Swimming Eagle

[omgcookiekiller]

thats in maine and it was filmed on a lobster boat tour and it was filmed in 1994 i was just on the boat and they showed metis vid

[Kraboobee]

Such a badass... 

[sue15846]

Eagles know how to swim

[cher65p4]

@sue15846 really? i wouldn't know by watching this.

[pawsplus]

Just FYI -- this is not uncommon. Eagles go in after fish, and once wet, can't get airborne. They swim to shore, shake off, and fly away. They hunt close to shore for good reason!

[omgcookiekiller]

@pawsplus this one was after a bird

[oliviastheone]

@pawsplus look to the side videos,title[ Eagle taking off from water,lol.]

[warvics]

my hubby has seen at work a lot...the eagle prolly had a fish and was bringing it to shore...

[GettnBooted]

I just saw on TMZ another eagle swimming in a pool,  I guess this is trainable or regular behavior, hey maybe they sometimes need to just cool off. GB

[GeneralHoohah]

Actually, bald eagles can land in the water and take off from the water, and fly fine. This one seems to either be enjoying the water a little too much or is having trouble. lol But the shore is right there, I'm sure it was fine. Also, this doesn't look like any ocean I've ever seen in the US. The waters are really really calm, like what you'd see on a lake or possibly a river that empties out into the ocean.

[OracleDan]

I'd be willing to bet that this eagle has a considerably sized fish in its talons and is dragging it along until it reaches the shore

[RMos22]

@OracleDan Yup..saw another video where that is the case

[Nik123dj]

Poor guy was trying to get out, why didn't you helped him? Bald eagles are not swimmers.

[chris20780]

@Nik123dj Bald Eagles are excellent swimmers actually Google it.

[Nik123dj]

@chris20780

That's great, I'm glad to hear this. Still, that eagle up there gives a quite big impression that he wasn't born for water :)

[annekarp]

Pretty incredible!

[sofiadragon1979]

That poor thing is drowning & you think that it is swimming you are a really stupid person aren't you?

[JollyTexan]

@sofiadragon1979 This eagle is not drowning. It is actually "swimming" to shore. Unlike ospreys, bald eagles do not dive into water and cannot fly away if they do somehow get wet. Under the right circumstances, however, they can maneuver their way to shore - which is what this one is doing.

[tezcatbus]

@sofiadragon1979 No, it isn't. It's swimming. The only reason they drown under these circumstances is if the water is rough, or the fish is too big and they won't let it go. Otherwise, they make it back to the shore and stand around looking bad-tempered until their wings dry.

[Nowzies]

@sofiadragon1979 I think that if it was drowning, its movements would be quite a lot less methodical and calm.

[911caddy]

I've seen this on a few occasion's. Generally when the Eagle has grabbed either too large fish or a grabbed a seabird bird too close to the waters surface. They are unable to let go of their prey.. So if they miscalculate.. They are stuck swimming to shore. Or drowning..

I just saw a small bald eagle today sitting beside a creek near the ocean with it's wings extended.. Drying off. I'm guessing a hunt gone bad.

[santanamj31s]

this is a snapple fact

[sompret]

At least we know now that birds can swim. Leisurely, at the most part.

[PinkWerewolf1]

Rock on eagle!

[mazda6tuner99]

lmao this has got to be the funnest thing ever.

[spongyiq]

this is all because of global warming.

yah not really

[bricekellyman34]

They do this all the time. Its nature, dont interfere...and DONT PICK UP AN EAGLE. lol

[Suga29]

Next time you see an eagle having some difficulties, simply pick the eagle up with your hands with a sweater or a jacket to protect you from the claws/beak and put him on dry land...Coward. How would you like it if you were S.O.L. and someone was just watching & filming you and doing nothing about it? No matter how or why the eagle got stuck. Plus, the majority of humans are just as"greedy" anyway...

[gmr41693]

the eagles do it to cool off and if he did pick it up with a towel it would still try to rip his head off and scratch as much as it could

[RobbyDoom]

So what was the outcome. Did you stick around to see if he survived?

[tezcatbus]

bald eagles are dumber than rocks and terribly greedy. this happens to them a lot.

[sfstucco]

Go learn something, imbicile.

[tezcatbus]

It's "imbecile", and eagles do die this way, usually as a result of grabbing a too-large fish in rough water, and being too stubborn or greedy to let go.

You were saying? Or are you just sulking because you think being all noble and fierce-looking should mean they won't squabble and scream over food like any other scavenger?

[sfstucco]

Thanks for the spelling correction.

No sulking. I don't think of these animals as being noble or fierce. They are what they are. And we are not much different -- that's my thought.

I think it's silly, arrogant, and naive to think of humans as superior or smarter. Really... how different is that behavior from the behavior of humans? ...too-large of a fish in rough water, too stubborn/greedy to let go. ...squabbling or screaming (or killing) over food or territory.

Sounds familiar to me.

[ferrus]

I don't recall comparing them to humans. I compared them to rocks, and I know some humans who are definitely second best compared to silicates.

Familiarity breeds contempt, I suppose - not that I hold eagles in contempt. I just live surrounded by them, and if I had to make a realistic and honest intellectual comparison I'd have to go with chickens.

bock bock

[pmawarrior]

what are you white?

[JollyTexan]

@tezcatbus Bald eagles are actually quite intelligent.

[tezcatbus]

@JollyTexan Compared to what, bricks? I'm not a fan of raptors, overall... when it comes to birds with smarts, give me a corvid any day. :)

[Kidiot]

goony goony goons

[samboOwNeS]

lo,awsome...But it kinda looks fake!

[lilblock1234]

no its not fake in damascus PA u see them everywhere near the river

[superman41082]

it's not fake, nor is it awesome. bald eagles, as you can tell from the video, are in no way swimmers. a bald eagle never goes in water on purpose, because it could easily mean death by drowning or hypothermia, as they are not built for the water. the usual way bald eagles get trapped in the water is by plucking a fish too heavy to carry and getting pulled into the water where they are in a dire situation.