Pasture Raised ... Wedged Tail Eagles?

The most bazaar thing happened to me a couple of days ago while heading out to do my daily moves of our Pasture Raised Chickens. As I approached the first shelter, I heard a tremendous bang and a dark shape trying to jump out through the roof.  My first thought was a fox had somehow found its way into the shelter and I dreaded coming around to see what the damage was going to be.

I came around to the front and what did I see?  A Wedged Tail Eagle!  Phenomenal!  I wasn't sure at first how it got trapped inside, but immediate action was needed to get it out.  I slid the roof back and took out my phone to capture what happened next.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mODqEQv47m0

We lost two chickens from the experience, which is in a way very lucky.  Foxes typically kill more than what they need to eat out of what seems to be a mix of pleasure and something to 'pickup later'.

After the eagle was gone, I tracked around the shelter came to the following conclusion.  The top cover had shifted in a way that allowed it to pivot/swing inward.  Once the eagle landed on top, it dropped down, depositing the large bird of prey inside and then flipped back up like a trap door to keep it there.

Losing livestock is always hard to take.  Yet to see this magnificent wild creature up so close was amazing.  The huge wingspan, the amazing patterns on the feathers, the way its talons easily wrapped around a 75mm thick timber frame and that tremendous hooked beak!  When it flew away so gracefully I felt disappointed not to be in its presence anymore.

A beautiful moment.