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Newsweek
Bald Eagle Snatches Canada Goose in Talons Before Feasting in Surreal Photo
Story by Alice Gibbs • 2h ago
A picture of the moment a bald eagle captured a Canada goose has gained viral attention online this week.
Jeff Nelson was at work at Wanapum Dam on the Columbia River in Washington State when he and his co-worker Cory Keller caught the incredible sight on their security cameras.
In pictures since shared across Facebook and re-posted on Reddit, where they have received more than 63,000 upvotes, a huge bald eagle is seen in flight with a Canada goose in its talons.
"We were watching our security cameras at work," Nelson told Newsweek. "Cory saw something very large fly by and we backed up the footage to watch it in slow motion."
As they ran the footage back the pair couldn't believe what they had seen.
"We were all shocked and amazed when we realized what was actually happening," said Nelson. "We see an assortment of wildlife every day—eagles, beavers, skunks, otters and things. What we don't see every day is a bald eagle carrying a Canada goose."
The bald eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. Actually a sea eagle, they are often found inland along rivers and large lakes. An adult male has an impressive wingspan of up to 6.6 feet while females grow even larger with a wingspan of 8 feet.
The Canada goose is a brown-backed light-breasted goose with a black head and neck. Native to North America, the various subspecies of Canada goose range in size from the 4.4 pound cackling goose to the mature giant Canada goose weighing as much as 14 pounds.
Capturing the footage from the security tape with his phone, Nelson was even more impressed when they saw that the eagle wasn't alone.
"There were actually a pair of bald eagles," he explained. "The one that caught the goose landed on a light pole with it and shared it with its mate."