Crow Hitches A Ride Atop A Bald Eagle Over Washington


A photographer managed to capture an astonishing sight in the skies over Washington state, watching as a crow landed atop a bald eagle, hitching a ride mid-flight.

The strikingly unusual images were taken in Seabeck, Washington, according to AOL News. Amateur photographer Phoo Chan, 50, was observing a bald eagle when he witnessed the bizarre interaction unfolding before him.

“I was photographing a bald eagle flying around hunting for an early meal when suddenly the crow approached the eagle from behind,” he recalled. “At first I thought the crow was going to chase away the eagle. I have seen crows harassing a hawk by swooping back and forth in order to drive it away from their territory. I was completely awed to see the crow actually land on the back of the flying eagle.”

As Chan continued to snap away, recording a series of astonishing photographs, the crow mounted the bald eagle’s back, perching atop the larger bird as it swooped through the sky. While Chan was surprised at what he was witnessing, the photographer told the Daily Mail that he was more astonished to see that the bald eagle acted as if nothing were happening. The larger bird, he said, didn’t seem to mind the crow’s brief ride upon its back.

Chan noted that the crow appeared to be taking a “short break and at the same time a free ride.” The interaction lasted only seconds, however, before the crow took once more to the skies and went on its way.

“I think the crow decided to land on the eagle because the eagle did not respond to its harassment so it landed briefly and then left. Eventually the crow flew away and the eagle continued to hunt for its breakfast. They both flew in different directions and it looked like they became friends.”

Last month, a photographer in Florida managed to capture a similar interaction when his party startled a raccoon in a dense swamp. The animal fled, and for a brief moment perched atop a nearby alligator, leading to a photograph that quickly went viral, as the Inquisitr previously noted.

Though his images have garnered praise from other photographers, Chan says he was simply in the right place at the right time to document the bald eagle’s unusual interaction with the crow.

[Image: Phoo Chan via the Daily Mail]

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