The homing eagle: Magical moment lost bird of prey returned to handler after flying 100 miles home

By EMMA REYNOLDS

Wing and a prayer: Samson the eagle and Jonathan Marshall, 43, enjoy an emotional reunion in Devon

This is the heartwarming moment in which golden eagle Samson soared back to the side of his handler Jonathan Marshall - 100 miles away from where he disappeared.
The majestic bird of prey went missing a week earlier during an appearance at a medieval wedding in Gloucester.
But unused to foraging for himself, the homesick eagle winged his way back to his handler for an emotional reunion.
The touching YouTube video shows Mr Marshall calmly presenting a falconry show at Escot Park in Devon when he spots the eagle zooming through the air and breaks off abruptly. 'My goodness me, look at that!' he cries, as the feathered creature swoops into the trees and the audience murmur with amazement. 'That's Samson! That's my golden eagle!

Eagle-eyed: An amazed crowd catch sight of the four-year-old bird soaring into the trees after an arduous journey from Gloucestershire

'I can't believe it, that's the golden eagle we lost a week ago,' he adds. 'Isn't that incredible? He's come back all the way from Gloucestershire.'
The 43-year-old made an appeal to the public to help him find the four-year-old bird after he went missing during a show at Berkley Castle.
The pair had been inseparable since Mr Marshall rescued Samson from captivity in Yorkshire, and had developed an incredible air routine together.

Home at last: Samson dives over the crowd's heads to reach his overjoyed trainer

As the hungry bird tucked in to some food, Mr Marshall told the delighted crowd that he would have to be careful not to got nipped, as Samson was likely to be 'ravenous'.
Samson first hit the headlines several years ago when he became the first eagle in history to fly with a hangglider - soaring over the cliffs of Woolacombe in North Devon with Mr Marshall.
The frantic falconer had feared that his beloved eagle might be harmed in some way, and after a week of silence he had started to lose hope.

Pet: The 43-year-old strokes his fellow performer after the eagle travelled 100 miles to find him

Then, Samson turned up out of the blue in front of several hundred spectators and he is now enjoying a well earned rest for a few days, tucking into his favourite meal of rabbit and pheasant.
The bird, who has a 7ft wingspan, was saved by Mr Marshall from a life locked in a small cupboard after being stolen from a British zoo.

Tame: After a hugnry Samson has enjoyed a few meals of his favourite rabbit, he and Mr Marshall will resume their incredible air show

The worried falconer had said last week: 'When he came to me Samson was in a terrible state.
'He was aggressive because of the way he had been treated and all the flight feathers in his wings and his tail feathers were snapped and bent.
'He was pretty smashed up and left with huge gaping holes in his plumage. It took four months for his feathers to grow back ready to fly, but when they did he looked just magnificent.
'Over the time it took for him to recover we built up a bond of trust and went hunting together, like a pair of golden eagles would do in the wild.When I go to bed at night I can't help but sit up worrying what may have happened to him.

Lost and found: The golden eagle, pictured with his owner, disappeared after flying off to dry his wings following a rain shower

'He's now very tame and used to being around people so I hope it's not too long before someone sees him.'
Mr Marshall was the first man in the world to train a wild peregrine falcon to fly beside him in 2002 after spending ten years learning to fly a hangglider in Australia in order to realise the dream.
When Samson learnt to fly to his glove, Mr Marshall set about coaxing him to soar next to his hang-glider using bits of rabbit meat.

Inseparable: Jonathan and Sampson have such a close relationship the four-year-old bird has learnt to fly alongside his microlight aircraft

It took just six months and from there it was an easy progression for Samson to follow the noisier microlight.
Samson’s top speed is around 100mph but he is quite happy to soar at 30mph, a more manageable speed for a microlight plane.





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The eagle has landed... on my fish: Incredible photos capture moment bald eagle swooped down to steal prey straight off angler's line

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

'Terrifying': Bruce Huntley admitted he was terrified when a bald eagle, with a 6ft wing span, swooped down and took a fish right off his line

He may not have captured his fish but Bruce Huntley certainly got an incredible photo to document his 'terrifying' run-in with nature.
Huntley was out fishing in his rubber dinghy on Washington's picturesque Lake Padden when a bald eagle with a 6ft wingspan swooped down and snatched a fish straight off his line. The bird of prey came just 10ft away from Huntley’s inflatable boat to pick up his lunch a few weeks ago.
Huntley admitted to the Bellingham Herald that the experience of having such a powerful bird so close was ‘terrifying.’
‘He came out of the tree and scared the holy bejesus out of me,’ he said.
Huntley and his companion, Rick Warren, believe that the eagle has discovered that fishermen can provide easy prey and have seen the bird steal from others before.

Easy pickings: With his lunch sorted, the bald eagle flies off. Huntley and his companion, Rick Warren, believe the bird has discovered that fishermen can provide easy prey and have seen it steal from other fishermen before

After spotting the eagle’s cunning, Warren decided to take his camera with him the next time they went out on the river.
Warren told the Herald that the bird watches them fishing and only swoops in if the fish are big enough.
He also reported that the bird seems to only carry out the mission when the water is calm and flat.
However the eagle, which nests near the lake with its mate, had never targeted Huntley or Warren before.
‘You never expect to get that close to an eagle, especially with his talons out,’ said Warren.
Describing himself as 'in awe’, Huntley recalled the moment the eagle struck as 'nature at its best.'
While the men are delighted with getting their photographs the incident was less fortunate for the fish, who Huntley would have released.

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The wing commanders: Inside the village where young boys train golden eagles to hunt... and this apprentice's bird boasts a wingspan larger than him

By ANTHONY BOND


Extreme: Azim and Aybek Shajbyrov are keen to follow in their father's footsteps and continue a family tradition of golden eagle hunting in the village of Bokonbaevo in Kyrgyzstan. Azim is pictured trying to train a golden eagle

For these brothers hoping to follow in their father's footsteps, the sky really is the limit. But the risks of chasing their dreams are not the fear of failure - but the physical dangers of training one of nature's fiercest predators.
That's because Azim and Aybek Shajbyrov, from the village of Bokonbaevo in Kyrgyzstan, are hoping to emulate their father and continue the family tradition of golden eagle hunting.
These extraordinary pictures show Azim attempting to train a giant golden eagle - one of the most powerful predators in the world.
Despite his diminutive size, he looks confident and self-assured with the enormous bird, which are known to kill foxes, goats and young deer.

Training: Talgarbek Shajbyrov releases his golden eagle during an exercise in Bokonbaevo, Kyrgyzstan, with one of his sons wathing in fascination

His father, Talgarbek, began bird hunting at the age of seven and proudly passes on his knowledge to his young sons who are eager to impress.
The family has two golden eagles and a young falcon which gives the boys the opportunity of learning the unique skill.

Teacher: Talgarbek, pictured, has been bird hunting since the age of seven and proudly passes on his knowledge to his young sons who are eager to impress

Enjoyment: Azim Shajbyrov seems happy with a baby falcon balancing on his head, left, while his father gives water to his golden eagle, right

Golden eagle and falcon hunting is a very old national tradition in Kyrgyzstan. Professional hunters in the country call the practice berkutchy or kusbeguy in Kazakh
It is a life's profession and the relationship between the bird and its master is all-consuming. A close intimacy between both turns into a life-long trust.
With their birds the hunters work in the mountains and participate in hunting festivals called Salburun.
The Golden Eagle is found in Eurasia, North America and parts of Africa. They use their agility and speed combined with powerful talons to catch prey. They nest in high places including cliffs and trees.

Eager to learn: The family has two golden eagles and a young falcon which gives the boys the opportunity of learning the unique skill. Azim, right, and Aybek, left, enjoy playing with the baby falcon

Close: Bolot, an elder of the Shajbyrov family, looks on while sitting near his bird. Golden eagle and falcon hunting is a very old national tradition in Kyrgyzstan

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That's what you call one tough old bird: The golden eagle who carries a KNIFE

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Attack of the killer: Han Bouwmeester captured this 'once in a lifetime' moment when a golden eagle soared away with a knife

A forgetful photographer had the shock of his life when this soaring golden eagle made off with his knife.
Dutch snapper Han Bouwmeester had been using the utensil, in Västerbotten, Sweden, to carve up chunks of meat in a bid to attract the birds of prey.
But, busy with the task in hand, the wildlife aficionado clumsily dropped it in the snow.
He said: 'Once it flew away in the sight of my camera I saw something red in his claws and made some shots of it.
'On the display from my camera I saw immediately that it was the knife we used to cut the meat. We surely left it in the snow.

Thrilled: The photographer said he was 'happy with the absolutely cracking and unique picture'

'At such a moment we were firstly enraged with ourselves because this was a fault. But he soon dropped the knife after realising it was useless for him.
'I was happy with the absolutely cracking and unique picture. The eagle is holding it exactly as we should do with it. What a crazy once in a lifetime moment this was.'

Soaring high: Han Bouwmeester said people would have heard of 'thieving magpies' but maybe not of 'thieving golden eagles'

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He's got some pluck: Common gull launches aerial attack on unsuspecting EAGLE

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

A peck on the beak: This fearless common gull launched an attack on a white-tailed Sea Eagle in the skies above Norway, before stealing some feathers and escaping the bird of prey

They're a common sight wheeling through the skies above seaside towns, swooping on unsuspecting visitors and swiping bags of chips.

But this common gull clearly has bigger ideas, after tackling a full grown white tailed eagle in Norway.

The plucky bird swooped on its not-so eagle eyed victim and pecked at its head during an astonishing aerial duel.


This is a hoot: This image of a Great Grey owl was taken in Tornio, Finland

And it was the gull that came out on top as it managed to steal some of the eagle's feathers before making its escape.

This photo was one of many taken by Markus Varesvuo, 45, has part of his new book Birds: Magic Moments.

They are the product of scrupulous planning and hours of waiting for the right shot.


Peckish: This bright orange Hoopoe was pictured after catching an insect in its beak in Pusztaszer, Hungary

Mr Varesvuo told Metro: 'At worst I sit doing nothing for days, when the birds never come.

'Or I sit 24/7 by the computer wading through hundreds and hundreds of pictures.
'It is rewarding, exhilarating, and can offer the purest kind of beauty quite unexpectedly.'

He does not use a flash, relying on natural light to capture his images.


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The eagle has landed! Kazakh falconer shows off his bird's impressive wingspan during festival of traditional sports

By JESSICA SATHERLEY

The sport of kings: A Kazakh falconer holds his golden eagle during a festival of traditional sports in the East Kazakhstan's city of Ust-Kamenogorsk

Once the sport of kings, falconry is one of the oldest games known to man – dating back to around 2000BC.

So the art took centre stage during a festival of traditional sports in the East Kazakhstan city of Ust-Kamenogorsk yesterday.

Golden Eagles have been used in falconry since the Middle Ages and this bird shows off his massive wingspan in full glory.

The bird landed on the arm of a Kazakh falconer, who was dressed in traditional attire for the event.

The sport is thought to have begun in Mongolia, which borders Kazakhstan, while other evidence suggests falconry might have originated in China.

Falconry is a method of hunting in which birds of prey are trained to catch their victim for their human handler.

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Bold vet gives a bald eagle the peck of life, performing 'mouth-to-beak' resuscitation

By DANIEL BATES

Drastic measures: Vet Jeff Cooney performs 'mouth to beak' on injured bald eagle named 'Patriot' after it was brought in after being hit by a car


A vet has been hailed as a hero after performing ‘mouth to beak’ resuscitation on an injured bald eagle when it stopped breathing.

Jeff Cooney clamped his lips onto the stricken bird’s beak and repeatedly blew air into his mouth until his chest puffed up and down.

Minutes later the eagle - nicknamed Patriot - came to life and suddenly began breathing on his own.


Stricken: Two days after being admitted to the surgery in Bend, Oregon, his condition suddenly worsened whilst under anaesthesia


The bird had been brought in to see Mr Cooney by two concerned members of the public who found him by the road side after having apparently been hit by a car.

The eagle had suffered, among other injuries, a dislocated shoulder and paralysed right leg.

But two days after being admitted to the surgery in Bend, Oregon, his condition suddenly worsened whilst under anaesthesia so Mr Cooney was forced to improvise with the ‘mouth to beak’ resuscitation.


Recovery: Patriot's condition has started to improve, he has gained 10 per cent of his body weight and is eating fish like crazy (file picture)


The bird’s condition has started to improve and will hopefully recover now, said Mr Cooney.

‘He has gained 10 per cent of his body weight and is eating fish like crazy.

‘His attitude is greatly improved, and he’s starting to act like a normal, rambunctious bald eagle.’

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Get your claws off my takeaway! The amazing aerobatic manoeuvres of eagles tussling over a fish supper

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Wanna flight? Photographer Ray Morris' amazing shots show eagles being almost forced onto their backs as attackers gain an aerial advantage


Wings outstretched and talons exposed, relations between bald eagles can get pretty raw when salmon is on the menu.

Photographer Ray Morris has captured the stunning aerobatic manoeuvres of the birds of prey tussling over salmon-rich territory.

His amazing shots show eagles being almost forced onto their backs as attackers gain an aerial advantage.

The images were taken at the Nooksack River in Washington, a site rich in spawned-out salmon. The fish make easy pickings as they usually are worn out after migration efforts and most die within a week of spawning.


Rich pickings: One of the eagles bares her claws as she tries to force her rival to drop her catch at the Nooksack River in Washington


Ray says: 'I am lucky because the Nooksack is a river local to me. A run of chum salmon come to spawn and eagles feed on the spawned out salmon, which makes for an amazing spectacle.


No messing: After a lengthy tussle, she finally forces her oppionent to drop the salmon. Bald eagles can have a wing span of 6 to 8 feet and fly at about 20 miles per hour


'When the eagles come to feed it can be a very frenzied scene. They will fight with the other birds, feed, take-off and then return for more. It can be very hard to keep up with the action'

The eagles fly to Washington when the weather cools in the Fraser River Valley in British Columbia. The abundance of spawning chum salmon means this gathering of bald eagles is the largest in the lower 48 states of the U.S.

Bald eagles can have a wing span of 6 to 8 feet and fly at about 20 miles per hour.

The females are the larger of the species, weighing an average of 15 pounds. The males average 9 pounds and have a slightly smaller wing span.


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Bald eagles have landed 10 million fans online as spy cameras stream live video of their chicks being hatched and fed

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Loving attention: The proud parents of the two baby bald eagles guard their newborns in the nest 80ft up a tree overlooking a trout stream in Decorah, Iowa. One more egg will be hatched this week


Here's a bird's eye view of two bald eagle chicks hatching that has caused an internet sensation.

The live feed from two spy cameras has attracted 10 million views - so many the site crashed after the first eaglet emerged in Decorah, Iowa on Friday.

Three eggs were laid in the nest 80 feet up in a cottonwood tree overlooking a trout stream, in late February.


Hatched: A secret camera streams live video of the bald eagles keeping watch over the newly-hatched babies


The first baby started to emerge from its shell last Friday. The second hatched at 5.30am today and the third is expected later this week.

Every move the chicks are making, from feeding and being kept warm by their parents, is being filmed minute by minute by the cameras hidden under leaves.

The Raptor Resource Project is streaming live video to the web, where people from all over the world can log on and peek at the eagles.

The surge in traffic meant access to the stream was sketchy while Raptor staff fixed the technical glitch.


Resting: The eaglets have been fed and now the parents take turns to sit on the nest and keep the babies warm


Project director Bob Anderson, who controls the camera angles with a joystick from a nearby shed, said: 'It's so big everybody's having problems.

'It's huge, the world loves it. I have had bird cams for 20 years ... I'm in shock, I'm in awe.'

Anderson recently took on two volunteers to help man the cameras so he could get some sleep and respond to hundreds of e-mails from eagle fans around the world.

The video feed reports more than 100,000 people are watching at any given time. One of the cameras - the size of a grapefruit - is equipped with infrared light for night-time viewing.

Since they first built the nest four years ago, the pair of eagles have raised eight chicks.

During last year's nesting season, the site recorded 10 million hits and about 78,000 unique visitors who watched three eaglets hatch then.

Briton Sue Thomas, 66, has been watching the nest from her home in Norfolk.

She said: 'We have it on all the time. It's just lovely to see what the little baby eagles are doing. It's amazing to see creation going on in such a happy way.'

The eagles, like most native to Iowa, do not migrate and live in the nest year-round. The chicks should be with them until July.



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That's one way to pluck a pheasant: Incredible pictures show a bald eagle swooping to grab its next meal

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Lunch on the go: Chris Bailey captured this amazing photograph of a Bald Eagle making a meal of a pheasant


This pheasant turned out to be not so plucky when a hungry bald eagle swooped down and took it away for its lunch.

British-born photographer Chris Bailey had been taking some snaps of a brace of pheasants in the snow when the large bird of prey ominously loomed into view.

In one swift movement it picked one of the bewildered birds up by the scruff of its neck with its lethal talons and flew off with it.

Stunned Mr Bailey, 54, tracked the eagle which carried the game bird to a quieter spot where it promptly made a meal out of it.

Mr Bailey captured the dramatic moment on camera on the snow-covered fields of South Dakota, US, where he lives and works as a service director for Ford.

'I was out taking some pictures of ring-necked pheasants and I noticed this bald eagle swoop down from out of the sky,' he explained.

'I just happened to be in the right place at the right time.

'He came down and picked one of the birds up, flew around and returned to the same spot and proceeded to eat it in front of me and devoured it.'


Catch of the day: The eagle swoops to prize the bemused pheasant from a snowy South Dakota plain


Mr Bailey added: 'I was worried that I didn't get the pictures at first because the eagle flew away from me with the pheasant but when I later looked at the pictures I realised they were very good.'

'We have seen more and more birds of prey go after game birds. They are normally fish eaters but many of the lakes have frozen over in the cold weather.'

The bald eagle - Haliaeetus leucocephalus in Latin - has a wingspan of up to 96 inches, can reach speeds of up to 45mph and can live up to 30 years.

Its diet normally consists of fish like trout or salmon but it also goes after small mammals such as rabbits, hares, beavers and deer fawns.


Meals on wings: This unfortunate pheasant was plucked away from its companions by a hungry Bald Eagle


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The eagle has landed... on my windscreen! Bird smashes into 60mph truck

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Crash landing: The young bald eagle's head pokes through the windscreen after a truck hit the bird at 60mph in Bear Lake, Idaho. It suffered internal bleeding but no broken bones


With its head stuck through a windscreen after being hit by a truck at 60mph, nobody gave the young bald eagle much of a chance of survival.

But the bird nicknamed Wiegle - short for 'Window Eagle' - has made a miraculous recovery and is flying high again in the wilds of Bear Lake, Idaho.

The eagle's battle for life began after it was hit while feeding on a dead deer on the road and flew in the wrong direction as the semi approached.


Fly away: The bald eagle, nicknamed Wiegle, is set free into the wild after a month of treatment


Amazingly the young female suffered no broken bones, but had internal bleeding. First it was taken to Idaho Fish and Game in Pocatello before being driven toTeton Raptor Center in Wilson, Wyoming.

There it was nursed back to health for a month before Wiegle proved she was ready to be released as she flew, ate on her own, and was able to navigate and land.

Finally, she was released back to her Bear Lake home.

Teton Director Amy Brennan McCarthey said: 'This return to the wild qualifies as the most remarkable among our success stories.

'We are very proud to play a role in giving this eagle a second chance at freedom.'

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Clash of the Talons: Or how one hungry eagle outfoxed a rival over dinner

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

A golden eagle turns his pitiless gaze on the landscape

It’s a confrontation that ends in defeat for one of the most majestic birds of the skies. A golden eagle is robbed of his prey in Arctic conditions after a mid-air fight with a stronger white-tailed eagle.

To capture the extraordinary sequence of images, British photographer Richard Costin spent five days wrapped in several sleeping bags in a hide in Northern Norway, where the temperature was -10C.

Eventually he saw the golden eagle eating a fox, and the white-tailed eagle moving in. Second by second, he recorded what followed: the fearsome clash of talons, the moment the golden eagle knew it was time to retreat and lick his wounds, and finally the victor with his spoils.


Aha! A dead fox offers a free feast, never mind the biting wind


But high up, a passing white-tailed eagle spots the chance of a fast food robbery


Steathily does it - the white-tailed, also known as the sea eagle, controls his approach to gain most surprise


The two square up on a branch, the white-tailed drawing himself up to full majesty


The fight starts: Feathers and snow fly, as the two giant birds of prey deploy their deadliest weapons - those long talons with razor-sharp points


The imperious white-tailed eagle gains the upper hand while the possibly younger golden eagle looks flustered


The golden eagle, humiliated and hungry, retires to lick his wounds


The spoils to the victor and, it seems, a moment of scorn


Taken in northern Norway, they show the Golden Eagle arriving at the carcass in a blizzard only for the White Tailed Eagle to muscle in on the action.

After tussling claw to claw, the White Tailed Eagle was victorious and chased away the crows to claim its prize.

Richard, from Kent, said: 'To take these images I spent nine hours a day for five days in a small wooden hide on a remote hill in Norway.

'The temperature outside was approximately -10 and I was well wrapped up in several sleeping bags as I wasn't able to move much to keep warm.

'It was essential to be in before sunrise and out after sunset so the eagles did not associate the hide with humans.


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Where seagulls dare: Eagle is ambushed for his supper above Norwegian fjord

By Mail Foreign Service

Brave: A sea eagle swoops down in a bid to catch a fish, unaware a plucky seagull is on his tail


This is the moment a brave seagull decided to take on an eagle mid-flight in a battle for fish.

Soaring over the Norwegian fjords the sea eagle was not expecting trouble as it scanned the deep water below for a meal.

With its razor sharp beak and talons the huge bird of prey swooped down for its catch of the day.

However, before it could grab the fish, it was subjected to an astonishing attack by a seagull which landed on its back.


A word in your ear: The seagull briefly touches down on the back of the eagle, preventing it from catching the fish


The daring interception was caught on camera by wildlife photographer Paul Beastall.

In a series of incredible images the gull even seems to ride the back of the surprised eagle in a desperate bid to put him off his catch.

Mr Beastall captured the wildlife confrontation during a trip to the Norwegian fjords, which are also known as sea lakes.

The 38-year-old, from Cambridgeshire, said despite the cheeky seagull's attempt to disrupt dinner the eagle got his fish in the end.

He said: 'The eagle flew off I think more through surprise than anything but the gull didn't get the fish either.

'Happily for the eagle he managed to come back later and get it.

'When I first saw the gull attack I was amazed, I had heard that this does happen but never thought I would capture it on camera.


Success at last: The sea eagle returns for its fish dinner, without accompanying seagull this time
'The sea eagle has a wing span of over eight feet so it's much bigger than the gull and would be more than a match for it.


'But as you can see from these pictures the gull attacks from behind in an ambush to put the eagle off and hopefully get the fish for itself.

'In one shot the gull is right on top of the bird of prey, it's like a real David and Goliath battle, the seagull clearly didn't know the pecking order of things.'

Mr Beastall, who was in Norway leading an expedition to film wildlife, said getting the confrontation on camera was a once-in-a-lifetime event.

He said: 'I have been on photography trips all over the world and a lot in Europe taking pictures of birds, but I've never seen anything like this.

'I have been taking pictures of wildlife for more than 20 years and this is one of the best sights I have seen.'


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Food fight: The moment a magpie merrily tries to steal a sea eagle's lunch from under its nose

By Mail Foreign Service

Unlikely friends: A bemused sea eagle watches as a magpie lands on his perch (above) before deciding he's had enough of his cheek (below)


It's a case of David and Goliath for these unlikely bench fellows.

With a wingspan stretching over a massive 2.5m, a sea eagle dwarfs a magpie as they share a small tree branch together.

But the pair had a swift falling out when the reason behind the magpie's seemingly strange decision to perch next to the world's fourth-largest eagle became clear.

For the smaller bird was hoping to scavenge the sea eagle's dinner.


After competing over the recently caught prey, the birds eventually agreed to disagree.


The odd moment near Wloclawek in northern Poland was photographed by Marcin Nawrocki, a 33-year-old computer engineer.

'I had been observing this sea eagle, which is the largest bird of prey in Poland and the fourth largest eagle in the world, over the course of a few days,' he said.

'The eagle was eating its recently caught prey and the magpie had arrived and was jealous that the sea eagle had managed to catch itself a decent evening meal.

'So the magpie was bouncing around the branches and the eagle was obviously getting annoyed with the magpie.'


Law of the land: With the magpie having swiftly vacated his spot, the eagle moves up the branch (above), making it clear who's boss (below). These extraordinary photos were taken in northern Poland


He added: 'But there was a great moment when the two were sat on the same branch and the eagle seemed to give the magpie a strange look.'

At over 90cm tall and with its powerful talons, the sea eagle's normal prey is rabbits, small deer and ducks.

'This eagle was not interested in the magpie to eat because magpies are too small as prey for the sea eagle and they are actually faster flyers than sea eagles,' said Mr Nawrocki.

'At first the eagle sat on the branch and cleaned its beak after its had eaten what it had caught.

'The magpie came to interrupt because it was was hungry too.'



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