My wife and I witnessed a ‘cartwheel in the sky’ (or ‘death spiral’ which she didn’t like the sound of since the eagles don’t die) when visiting the Skagit Valley area the day before Inauguration Day.
Since then, I’ve done a lot of reading and watching of YouTube videos on the subject. Since I love the photography more than the writing, I’ll give a brief accounting here and leave it up to you to research as far as you want to go on your own.
Have you ever played or watched two kids holding hands and twirling? There is a lot of centrifugal force. There comes a point where hands are released and the kids go flying.
Bald eagles, as well as other birds, have to learn to do this both to keep their territory and to prove their worthiness to a mate. How do you know which it is?
Bald eagles are sexually mature at 4-5 years, which is also the time when their head and tail feathers are all white. The cartwheel in the sky is one bonding experience for eagles as well as exchanging food and handing off sticks in nest-building. Defending the territory near the nest and the hunting area is another way an eagle can show its prowess.
From what I’ve stated so far, can you tell what this ‘cartwheel in the sky’ is all about?
If you guessed this was territorial, you would be correct since the eagle without a white head or tail is immature and not sexually mature. There might be the possibility they are in a ‘practice’ exercise. Since I saw the mature eagle sitting in a tree with another mature eagle and eagles mate for life, I think this wasn’t a mating rite.
To send you on your way, here are two photos of an eagle on the wing.
Have you seen a rare encounter of animals in action? Or just caught animals feeding or playing? Please share your experiences here with or without photos. Your participation is what makes the Daily Bucket thrive.