Gaggle of geese take flight as bald eagle causes panic

This past Friday there were hundreds of geese on Lower Derby Lake at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. Also there enjoying the beautiful morning were at least 19 bald eagles who were standing on the ice and intermittently going fishing in the parts of the lake that weren’t frozen.

The geese were keeping their distance from the raptors, certainly a smart move. However one of the eagles decided to do a low flyover of the gaggle and that was all it took to send the passive geese fleeing into the air. This images captures the flock as it takes off. Notice the 11 or so bald eagles on the ice as well.

View more pictures from that day at the Arsenal below the image.