A lot of people think the US is in decline, but I'm glad to see that at least one of our strongest national symbols appears to be proliferating. Seeing a bald eagle in person is really a special event. When I was a kid the only Bald Eagle I thought I'd ever get to see up close was the Muppet named Sam the Eagle!
Until fairly recently, seeing any soaring, gliding bird of prey in the NY Metro area was rare and profound. Now they practically litter the highways. Even in New York City we have many hawks now, some famously living in Central Park, and many more living more modestly in the outer boroughs.
I actually had one swoop for a squirrel, and miss, while I was walking through Prospect Park several years ago... crossed my path within about 6 feet! I was totally unprepared, having been photographing flowers that day, and was just fast enough to get a few blurry shots, but not a great one. The squirrel was very lucky, if it were just inches further from that tree I don't think he would have found refuge from the talons rising from below.
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I heard the rustling in the tree above me and managed to get two quick shots of take-off.
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The squirrel saw the hawk shortly after I did, almost too late, but scrambled up to safety. I bet he told quite a tale that night.
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The hawk returned to its perch, looking kinda ticked off.
Years later, I was lucky enough to work on-set with an amazing hawk and an amazing eagle (one of which you've possibly seen in television ads and shows), and at one point I had hold the eagle. I was absolutely amazed at the innate power of the thing, and I had sympathy for the celebrity who had to keep it on her bare shoulder and act cool about it (the magazine didn't even run the picture in the end!).
One of the birds was kept in a box and the other on a perch, blindfolded. I asked the wrangler about this, assuming the darkness just kept them calm. He told me that if one of the birds even glimpses the other the entire 2500 square foot studio would essentially become a human blender, and we would all be completely diced up while the birds stopped at nothing to kill each other. I didn't tell anyone else about this possibility until after the shoot had wrapped!
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The hawk on the perch is an actor, and, actually, even though he is called an African Brown Hawk, he is technically an eagle. He is also the wrangler's primary hunter, and he goes out on daily missions to retrieve food for all the other carnivores the wrangler cares for. He's been trained like a retriever dog, not to kill the prey. The less helpful bird waited in the box behind.
For anyone in southern NY state, there is a park off of I-684 in Westchester County that has a hiking trail leading to some hill-side bleachers set up specifically for eagle and hawk watching over the hills.
