A blackbird hopped on the back of a bald eagle, but it turns out that it wasn't a joyride

Amateur nature photographer Jason McCarty has always considered himself in sync with nature. But on a recent outing near his central Minnesota home, he captured an especially lucky shot.
"I talk to Mother Nature, and she talks back," he said. "It's a bond that's hard to explain."
The results are almost too cute to be real: A red-winged blackbird small enough to serve as a larger predator's breakfast hitches a ride on the back of a bald eagle.
While the photo appears to portray an awe-inspiring instance of avian camaraderie, the truth of its circumstances are a bit uglier, McCarty said.

The bitty blackbirds are "very territorial," he said, and aren't afraid to attack far bigger animals -- even menacing birds of prey and humans --who approach their nests.
McCarty watched the female bald eagle, whom he named Janice, pick up a fish to bring back to her eaglets, Leonard and Gary. She took a U-turn from the nest but flew a bit too close to the blackbird's home turf. The tiny tyrant furiously took after her, set to attack.
The seething blackbird sank its wee claws into Janice's back but clearly didn't do much damage. The eagle matriarch flew away without a second thought, and the blackbird eventually let up.
Since McCarty shared the photo on Facebook, his post has been flooded with comments from users who say it's doctored, a claim he vehemently denies.
"I'd never Photoshop," he said. "That's cheating."
It's not the only little bird with a mean streak

The feisty red-winged blackbird isn't the only diminutive species willing to pick on bigger birds. Crows and kingbirds too defend their nests against vultures and great blue herons with aggression, Audubon field editor Kenn Kaufman says.
Their victims either fight back or, like Janice, ignore the tiny bullies, "just as [humans] might ignore a small dog yipping at our heels," he said.

Speaking of "Hitchin' A Ride".

I still have a grudge against the Great Blue Heron when I saw one eat a Canada Goose baby. I was aghast.

That's a great shot. And I'm on the Hitchin' A Ride assignment.

hitchen a ride on a blackbird...

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Edited 999 time(s). Last edit at 12:08PM by jdc.

I see small birds chasing crows here occasionally. There have also been a few summers where Starlings will buzz my head while walking in my yard. They always come from behind and are close enough to feel the air from their wings. So far they haven't hit me.

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Northern California Coast

The seething blackbird sank its wee claws into Janice's back but clearly didn't do much damage. The eagle matriarch flew away without a second thought, and the blackbird eventually let up.

A rolling reversal would work well in that situation.

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I am that Masked Man.

All you can do, is all you can do.

There’s trouble — it's time to play the sound of my people.

Your boos mean nothing to me, I've seen what you cheer for.

Insisting on your rights without acknowledging your responsibilities isn’t freedom, it’s adolescence.

I've been to the edge of the map, and there be monsters.

We are a government of laws, not men.

Everybody counts or nobody counts.

When a good man is hurt,
all who would be called good
must suffer with him.

You and I have memories longer than the road that stretches out ahead.

There is no safety for honest men except
by believing all possible evil of evil men.

We don’t do focus groups. They just ensure that you don’t offend anyone, and produce bland inoffensive products. —Sir Jonathan Ive

An armed society is a polite society.
And hope is a lousy defense.

You make me pull, I'll put you down.

I *love* SIGs. It's Glocks I hate.

That's an amazing shot. Eagle looks more brown than usual. Wonder what camera/lens he used.

jdc: Your photo didn't come through.


/Mr Lynn

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"Hillbilly at Harvard"
Honky-tonk Country and Bluegrass
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On the river in Saxonville.

.....ticket.......to ride......???

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I reject your reality and substitute my own!

I once saw blackbirds going after a redtail hawk until it was exhausted. Poor hawk - it just wanted to get away.

Your photo didn't come through.

When I Right-Click and open in a new tab, it loads.

But here, no.

Maybe a smaller version:

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I am that Masked Man.

All you can do, is all you can do.

There’s trouble — it's time to play the sound of my people.

Your boos mean nothing to me, I've seen what you cheer for.

Insisting on your rights without acknowledging your responsibilities isn’t freedom, it’s adolescence.

I've been to the edge of the map, and there be monsters.

We are a government of laws, not men.

Everybody counts or nobody counts.

When a good man is hurt,
all who would be called good
must suffer with him.

You and I have memories longer than the road that stretches out ahead.

There is no safety for honest men except
by believing all possible evil of evil men.

We don’t do focus groups. They just ensure that you don’t offend anyone, and produce bland inoffensive products. —Sir Jonathan Ive

An armed society is a polite society.
And hope is a lousy defense.

You make me pull, I'll put you down.

I *love* SIGs. It's Glocks I hate.

Immediately reminded me of a book I read as a child in the 70s! Found it:
The Eagle & The Wren

I just discovered it was "adapted" by Jane Goodall! Yep, THE Jane Goodall!

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San Antonio, TX (in the old city)


"All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke
“Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." - Eli Weisel

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public." - Theodore Roosevelt (1918)

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