Last week on the Conservancy’s Silva tract, a Golden Eagle was seen taking a rabbit, not far from several Conservancy field crew. While the Golden Eagle is not one of the NBHCP’s “covered species,” it is pretty rare in this region. It is a very large bird, and when it takes its prey, it is an awe-inspiring event.
One of the Conservancy’s farmers, having grown up in the Natomas Basin and farmed there all his life, was surprised recently when a Golden Eagle was on the border of one of the Conservancy’s marsh habitats and a rice field he was farming for us. He said he was shocked at the size of the creature. Never seen anything like that in the Basin before, he said. I hope the Conservancy’s restoration and enhancement efforts are playing a role in developments like this. P.S. It is grim talking about it, but one of the hard lessons to learn in this business is that the species you are trying to provide sanctuary for favor areas of high prey production. Like the Golden Eagle, most are not vegetarians, and some of the prey we produce are destined to keep the “cycle” going.