Pompiere

Once while riding, I saw a bald eagle hopping on the ground like it was snagged on something. It was in front of a house, in the driveway, right next to the road. As I got closer, I'm trying to figure out how I can help this poor bird, but fully aware that Lycra offers little protection to talons and beaks. Then suddenly, it let go of the object and took off and landed about 20 feet away from the road. It had been trying to carry a dead raccoon that was too big for it. The eagle watched me go past as if to say "I'll give some room, but if you touch my dinner, we are going to have a problem!"

I live near Lake Erie and our county has a lot of active Bald Eagle nests, so it is not unusual to see them while riding. However, I don't normally see them close enough to worry about getting clawed. It is a far cry from 30 years ago when the wildlife officers would quarantine a 1/2 mile radius around a nest site so people would not interfere with breeding.