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Katie Mack
@astrokatie.com

It’s absolutely standard in American entertainment to reject the authentic chirpy whistle of a bald eagle and sub in the red-tailed hawk’s robust commie scream

Sarah Drasner@sarahedo.bsky.social

I have an important bird fact to share. Yesterday I was hiking and heard a baby bald eagle… or so I thought. Turns out that bald eagles actually make a chirping noise so the red-tailed hawk is the eagle’s voice actor! All this time. Everyone quietly lies and subs in the hawk. Everyone in the US!

R Sitze
@rd.sitze.net

What will really ruin the eagle propaganda for you is watching crowds of bald eagles roll and frolic joyfully in the wet mud at low tide looking for buried tasty things along the shores and islands of WA state. While chirping and squeeing happily.

2 reposts65 likes

R Sitze
@rd.sitze.net

Turns out they LUV smol shellfish and shrimp, and are adept at digging for them. Unfortunately there's so much pollution in those sea critters they're often toxic. We're under a warning now that humans should avoid entire beach segments for clamming. That can't be good for our bald eagles either.

R Sitze
@rd.sitze.net

Digging being the only word I can muster for what they do, but it's more like shallow "plunging" in the mud when they spot an air hole from a small clam.

R Sitze
@rd.sitze.net

They also are fearsome harrassors of other wildlife. Big bullying antics to steal some other animals clam or treat at the low tide feeding frenzy.

Laurel
@laurelfynes.bsky.social

I’ve watched them repeated harass the smaller, seemingly more agile osprey. Every time they come up with a fish, the eagles swoop down on them. And the osprey are loud about it… just add in the kingfishers and terns screaming, it’s never dull!

R Sitze
@rd.sitze.net

Anyway, imagine our national bird. Majestic. Beautiful. Completely - without shame - covered in wet dark sticky mud and very happy.