Eagle spotted carrying Canada goose near WA dam. Security camera captures the fly-by

Dec. 21, 2022 Updated Wed., Dec. 21, 2022 

By Jared GendronIdaho Statesman

Two bald eagles and a Canada goose are perched on a lamppost Dec. 15 near Wanapum Dam along the Columbia River. After 30 minutes of viewing the eagle on security footage, employees at Grant Public Utility District drove to the lamppost to catch a glimpse of the birds in person. (Christine Pratt/Grant Public Utility District )

The control room operators rewound the security camera footage, slowed it down and rewatched what just happened. They couldn’t believe it: a bald eagle soaring past the camera with a Canada goose clutched in its talons.

On Dec. 15, the eagle was spotted carrying the goose past the camera at Wanapum Dam, along the Columbia River, between the towns of Vantage and Beverly. The sighting sparked intrigue among employees at Grant Public Utility District (PUD), the nonprofit organization that owns the dam.

A control room employee at Grant PUD shared the video of the raptor in action on Facebook the same day, which the utility department then shared on its own social media page. A snapshot of the video depicting the eagle and goose then was shared on the website forum Reddit, and the post immediately garnered attention. As of Tuesday, the post has received more than 63,000 upvotes – or “likes.”

“Everyone was surprised that the eagle was carrying such a large bird,” said Christine Pratt, a spokesperson with Grant PUD.

Pratt said it reminded her of a scene she witnessed during winter several years ago. She said she saw an eagle dive into the Columbia River trying to catch a coot, which is a species of waterfowl.

“So I know for a fact they (eagles) will go after small birds, but what surprised everybody was just the size,” Pratt said. “A Canada goose can easily outweigh an eagle.”

Pratt said the control room employees spotted the eagle land on a lamppost in the vicinity. Not long after, another eagle joined it. Onlookers at the dam speculate that the second bird was the raptor’s mate. Control room employees watched the eagles for 30 minutes across multiple security cameras. Some workers then drove to the lamppost to photograph the scene.

It wasn’t immediately clear to personnel if the goose was dead or alive at the time of its capture. Pratt said utility district workers were speculating it could have been alive, but nobody could be certain of it.

Eagles in Washington

Bald eagles are plentiful in Washington. The birds travel long distances, including from Washington to Alaska, said Joe Buchanan, a wildlife biologist with the state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife. Buchanan said eagles are savvy predators and are known to hunt other birds, especially waterfowl such as ducks and other waterbirds like gulls.

Eagles are opportunistic predators, so they are adept at identifying injured animals or ones not cautious of their surroundings. Eagles take advantage of these situations to score easier meals. They also are known to scavenge.

Buchanan doesn’t think the goose was alive when snatched by the eagle.

“My guess is if the goose was alive, the eagle probably would not be carrying it, because it probably would be wiggling around and that sort of thing,” Buchanan said. He explained that eagle talons are both useful for carrying and incapacitating other animals, but he is unsure whether talons can inflict enough damage to kill a goose.

Canada geese travel from Canada to Washington during the winter season, and some have settled in the area year round, Buchanan said. Pratt said the dam’s surrounding areas attract wildlife because the public utility district expends resources into restoring natural habitats and ensuring wildlife survival.