This came from a old fighter pilot who runs a 2,000-acre corn farm up around   
   Barron, WI, not far from Oshkosh. He used to fly F-4Es and F-16s for the   
   Guard, and participated in the first Gulf War.   
       
       
   His story...   
   KING OF THE SKY   
       
   I went out to plant corn for a bit, to finish a field before tomorrow morning   
   and witnessed 'The Great Battle'.  A golden eagle -- big, with about a   
   six-foot wingspan -- flew right in front of the tractor.  It was being chased   
   by three crows that were continually dive bombing it and pecking at it.  The   
   crows do this because the eagles rob their nests when they find them.   
       
   At any rate, the eagle banked hard right in one evasive maneuver, then landed   
   in the field about 100 feet from the tractor.  This eagle stood about 3 feet   
   tall.  The crows all landed too and took up positions around the eagle at 120   
   degrees apart, but kept their distance at about 20 feet from the big bird.    
   The eagle would take a couple steps towards one of the crows and they'd hop   
   backwards and forward to keep their distance.  Then the reinforcement showed   
   up.  I happened to spot the eagle's mate hurtling down out of the sky at what   
   appeared to be approximately Mach 1.5.  Just before impact, the eagle on the   
   ground took flight, (obviously a coordinated tactic; probably pre-briefed) and   
   the three crows that were watching the grounded eagle also took flight --   
   thinking they were going to get in some more pecking on the big bird.   
       
   The first crow being targeted by the diving eagle never stood a snowball's   
   chance in hell.  There was a mid-air explosion of black feathers, and that   
   crow was done.   
       
   The diving eagle then banked hard left in what had to be a 9G climbing turn,   
   using the energy it had accumulated in the dive, and hit crow #2 less than two   
   seconds later.  Another crow dead.   
       
   The grounded eagle, which was now airborne and had an altitude advantage on   
   the remaining crow that was streaking eastward in full burner, made a short   
   dive, then banked hard right when the escaping crow tried to evade the hit. It   
   didn't work --  crow #3 bit the dust at about 20 feet AGL. (Above Ground Level)   
       
   This aerial battle was better than any air show I've been to, including the   
   War Birds show at Oshkosh.  The two eagles ripped the crows apart, and ate   
   them on the ground; and, as I got closer and closer working my way across the   
   field, I passed within 20 feet of one of them as it ate its catch.  It stopped   
   and looked at me as I went by, and you could see in the look of that bird that   
   it knew who's Boss of the Sky.  What a beautiful bird!   
       
   I loved it.  Not only did they kill their enemy, they ate them.  One of the   
   best Fighter Pilot stories I've seen in a long time.   
       
       
   Regards,   
       
   Roger   
      
   --- DB 3.99 + Windows 10   
    * Origin: NCS BBS - Houma, LoUiSiAna (1:3828/7)