Inside the gunshop one morning several days ago, I heard a high-pitched repeated screeeeing which I knew was a hawk, so I ran outside and looked up. From the north, quite high, a bald eagle, unmistakable with white tail and head, was rapidly approaching. I called to Mary Rose in the Meeting House and to Michael, in his potter’s shed, and both stepped out to see what was going on.
Just as the eagle passed over the fort, a much smaller accipiter hawk from high above, wings folded, pitched down on it at a steep angle. An instant before impact, the eagle rolled over and thrust its talons upward to meet its assailant. The hawk veered slightly, plunging by the eagle in a narrow miss. The eagle, tumbling from its roll, recovered neatly and swept sharply to the right, heading swiftly upstream over Pricketts Creek, skimming the trees along the far bank, with the hawk still in pursuit.
This is not the first time a bald eagle has been spotted over Pricketts Creek, but it is certainly one of the more dramatic instances. And now that we are entering the migration season, we will be watching the skies more closely. Located on a rise overlooking the juncture of two waterways, in the midst of extensive woodland, Pricketts Fort is ideally situated for viewing migrating birds of all kinds, including raptors.
Thanks for sharing this aerial free-show with us.
This is the time of year (fall migration) when I find myself continually looking up, in hopes of catching just such a sight. The Fort is an ideal place for traveling raptors, songbirds and other avian kin to stop, rest and re-fuel on their journey south. Last week I was privy to witness a flight of COMMON NIGHTHAWKS probably numbering 70 to 100 birds, that flew over my upper pastures and roosted in the fence line trees, right around dusk. It was quite a sight, and I felt grateful to have witnessed it. Thanks again for sharing your sighting.