MU-Peter: Fly Like An Eagle

Fly

Like An Eagle

Eagles, Hawks, Ravens

I've always wanted to fly.
The only recurring dream I ever had was about flying. Very vivid dreams were I just lifted up and flew through the air. Its happened over and again with different scenarios but one outcome. I'm Flying!

They are marvelous dreams and I always wake up both exilerated and very sad. Disappointed that they were dreams and not IRL. Not reality.

Wherever I have gone traveling, working, excavating or on vacation, I have always been the first in the group to hear an eagle's cry. Always looking up for them, and whenever possible snap some pics.

I've had interesting sightings of royal eagles, golden eagles and even bald eagles.

The are without doubt, majestic.

Raptors
There is so much to admire about them.

I don't know if that's the reason I'm fascinated by birds of prey and raptors. But then again, most people are fascinated by eagles. Dinosaur raptors too.are popular and there in fact an evolutionary link between them. Birds are living dinosaurs!

Eagle is a common name
for many large birds of prey
of the family Accipitridae

It belongs to several groups of genera
that are not necessarily closely related.

Most of the 60 species of eagles
are from Eurasia and Africa.
Outside this area,
just 14 species can be found

two in North America,

nine in Central and South America,

and three in Australia.

(Wikipedia)

I finally did Fly Like An Eagleor the closest thing to it.

When I turned 18 I signed up for a course

and started Hang-gliding.

ZERO GRAVITY Hang Gliding

"It's My Life" - Alpine Aerobatics

Eagles are generally classified into four groups

Fish Eagles
Sea eagles or fish eagles eat fish. D'uh!

Photo courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation.

Given that they need fish to hunt, they can be found by the seaside on coastal area, large lakes and the like. They like to eat their aquatic prey either fresh caught or carrion.

Booted Eagles
Booted eagles or "true eagles"
are noted by their feathered lower legs (tarsi).

A small eagle with males about 510–770 g (1.12–1.70 lb) in weight, and females about 950–1,000 g (2.09–2.20 lb) They inhabit wooded and hilly regions, with some open areas nearby.

It is small but powerful enough to hunt prey up to 5 times its own weight.

Dark and pale are the two distinct plumage forms.

Snake Eagles
Snake or serpent eagles are naturally adapted to hunting snake.

A rounded head and broad wings is what distinguish them. Reptiles are also part of their diet and sometimes they'll take small mammals as well.

Snake eagles prefer open cultivated plains or arid savanna. However, they tend to build stick nests so, they will need trees.

Harpy Eagles

Harpy eagles or "giant forest eagles" tend to be large.

Photo: GNU Free Documentation License,

In fact not only are they the largest and most powerful raptors found in the Americas but they are among the largest species in the world.

Its main prey are tree-dwelling mammals so, they are found in tropical forests and lowland rain forests. Adults of harpy eagles are at the top of a food chain in their environment and have no natural predators in these areas.

The Harpy Eagle and the Philippine Eagle

have wings that spread 2.5m across

and use their massive, sharp talons, to kill

and carry off prey as large as deer and monkeys.

Eagles are different from many other birds of prey mainly by their larger size, more powerful build, and heavier head and beak. Most eagles are larger than any other raptors apart from vultures

Some eagles are built with short wings and long tails enabling them to hunt in the tight confines of a forest, while others are have short tails and broad long wings allowing them to soar high above

open plains and water.

Many eagle species lay two eggs, but the older, larger chick frequently kills its younger sibling once it has hatched. Adults do not intervene.

Golden eagles in in the state of Wyoming

have been observed foraging areas

that cover 100 square miles.

Although many eagle populations are dwindling as a result of habitat destruction, hunting, and pollution, conservation efforts are helping some species Like the Bald Eagle

which has made a dramatic comeback in the U.S.over the last few decades.

Eagles have unusual eyes.

- They are very large in proportion to their heads and have extremely large pupils.

- Eagles’ eyes have a million light-sensitive cells per square mm of retina, five times more that a human’s 200,000.

- Humans see just 3 basic colours,

but eagles see 5.

- These adaptations gives eagles extremely keen eyesight and enable them to spot even well-camouflaged potential prey from a very long distance.

In fact the eagles’ vision is among the sharpest of any animal and studies suggest that some eagles can spot an animal the size of a rabbit up to 2 miles away!