JTweedie
Well-known member
Cracking photo taken by a camera trap of a white-tailed eagle on a red deer stag corpse. Stags are large animals, so check out the size of that eagle! http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-43307984
I AM NOT CALLING ANYONE A LIAR, NOR THROWING BRICKBATS
I am just looking for help in dissuading me of any cynicism, because I would really like to believe it:
This has been nagging me since I saw it on the BBC.
Has the photo been in any way verified?
The last Red Deer stag I saw was big; like 2 metres from snout to tail; often taken as 1.75 to 2.25 or more.
The White Tailed Eagle is up to (in one case) 2.45 metres wingspan.
The eagle looks too big, and the photo feels flat for me.
Have we heard of an eagle this size in the area? the ones from Greenland are cited as largest size, while the Scottish are heaviest.
Sorry but with perspective and all, it is hard to credit.
Thanks
Harry
I also have no real reason to doubt the image but would remark that claims of "huge" things due to the perspective of wide angle lenses ("giant feral hog" seems to be a favourite for hunters) invariably have the huge thing at the front of the pic, not behind something else.
However, the stag does not have all that much of a rack of antlers and may well not be that big.
John
I should add that my 2nd wedgie encounter was face to face on the top of a mountain. It just hovered up, without a beat, full 2.5m+ wingspan, up the side of a cliff and no more than 20 feet directly overhead where I sat. She was huge - dwarfing me. Dead set I thought she was going to throw me off the side of the mountain ! :eek!: I kid you not I actually spread all my limbs out to make myself look as large as possible ! as if to say - too big for you buddy! Absolutely incredible (but slightly frightening all at the same time!
Chosun :gh:
A rottie/shepherd cross is quite a big solid dog, so yeah maybe training....great stories mate. somewhere here i told a story of a pommie shiela on my property in Vic. came in white and shaking and probably a bit light on bodily fluids after an encounter with two (probably juvies) that were swooping within 10 foot of her at my dog. (she was resting under a cherry oak which is solid cover for Oz so they probably didnt know she was there) my dog was a big rottie/shepherd cross too. i think they were playing, practising, myself and saw them many times in my front paddock. but wedgies are known to be big. they need quite a runup.
i asked about this when enquiring re accommodation for a possible trip that way when health recovers later in year, very nice person there mentioned the local RSBP checked the sd card as it came from camera and were as excited as the owner, therefore posted it. the suggestions (not here) of fakery are hurtful to them. more videos coming soon of buzzard on same carcass.