Whatever Happened To...
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Eagle just keeps cruising over Kauai
Question: What ever happened to the eagle spotted over Kauai in March?
Answer: A white-tailed eagle, first spotted over Kauai in December and then photographed at Kilauea on March 5, has been spotted all over Kauai in the past few months, said wildlife officials this week.
The eagle, also known as a sea eagle, usually makes its home in Europe and Asia, but it is getting quite comfortable on Kauai, said Bob Diele, supervisory park ranger for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Kauai's North Shore.
After weeks without any reports of the giant raptor, which can grow to have a wingspan of 8 feet, it was spotted again last week in Puhi, about five miles from Lihue.
The eagle "has been cruising the entire island," Diele added, with sightings from the west side to the North Shore.
After first dieting on eggs of the endangered albatross earlier this year, there have been no reports of the eagle going after the fragile prey.
Still, there is plenty food for it to find, Diele added.
"Between the chickens, rats and even baby pigs," it has plenty of food sources, he added. Eagles are "outstanding scavengers and also take advantage of anything nice and stinky."
The eagle, whose sex has not been determined, is not the only strange bird spotted recently on the Garden Isle. Wildlife officials have seen non-native geese on Kauai, including a pair of cackling geese and a white-fronted goose.
A whole range of birds wind up on the islands, the ranger said. Often juveniles, the birds get lost in large storms and end up way off course.
"We get all types of transients here," he said.
This update was written by Tom Finnegan.
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