One of Pittsburgh’s newest bald eagles, less than a week out of the nest, learned the hard way there’s some fierce competition for air space in the big city.
Only a day after his maiden flight, the 10th Hays bald eagle, known as “H10,” was struck by a red-tailed hawk. The young bird eventually gained his composure and headed to safer ground.
A longtime eagle watcher known as Eaglestreamer was with other photographers and observers on the Three Rivers Heritage Trail in Hays and captured video footage of the interaction on June 17. The video is going viral.
Just moments before the harassment from the red-tailed hawk, H10 was flying with his sibling H9, according to Eaglestreamer.
H10 made a short flight on his own, landing on the top of a tree in the open, clearly wobbling and having problems gaining stability.
And he landed near the Glenwood Bridge in red-tailed hawk territory.
Shortly thereafter, a red-tailed hawk flew in to strike H10.
“You can visibly see the eagles’ dander rise from the strike,” Eaglestreamer said.
The hawk came in a second time, and H10 relocated to a less accessible tree close to the family nest.
At the time, both parent birds were across the river and H9 was not seen.
The adventures will continue for the Pittsburgh eagle family and watchers. The young birds will stay with their parents for a little while to hone their flying skills and learn to hunt.
A live webcam will remain on while the family periodically makes stops at the nest. The webcam can be accessed via CSE Corp. and the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania.
A longer version of Eaglestreamer’s video, “Red-tailed Hawk Welcomes H10 to the Neighborhood,” can be seen on YouTube.
