Grey-headed Fish Eagle

In 2013, when I had just started paying attention to birds, I photographed a large bird perched atop a leafless tree in Baikka Beel, Moulvi Bazar. Sitting still, it only moved its head as it scanned for fish in the adjacent beel. When I showed my photograph later to other birders, they identified it as a Grey-headed Fish Eagle.

Since then, however, it has eluded me over many return visits to the spot. I was told it can be found in Feni’s Muhuri reservoir, but when I went there it was absent. A fairly common bird of Bangladesh, this eagle was missing wherever I looked.

But my luck turned last month. One afternoon I was in the Haor, not expecting much because September is possibly the worst month for birding in Bangladesh. Sitting on the grass at the edge of water was an unexpectedly large bird. I momentarily thought it was a Pallas’s Fish Eagle, but its head and body colours were all wrong.

I approached it cautiously, keeping my distance so as not to frighten it away. After some time, it took flight and perched on a branch right above the water.

The afternoon was hot but not too muggy. Once it perched, I could clearly see the white legs of the bird, confirming that it was a Grey-headed Fish Eagle. It scanned the water underneath with its sharp eyes. Because of the heat it kept its mouth open. (Since birds do not have sweat glands, on hot days they expel body heat through an open mouth.)

Although I had my camera aimed, it dived so suddenly and quickly that I missed the first few milliseconds. Nonetheless, I caught it on camera stretching its claws forward as it hit the water and grabbed a Tilapia with its right claw. In less than a second, it had taken off, while placing the fish in both claws.

It disappeared quickly, presumably to an unobtrusive place to eat peacefully.

Grey-headed Fish Eagles are found all over South East Asia. They can grow 75 cm in length and weigh up to 2.7 kg. Females are larger than males. Like other large raptors they use sticks to build their nests and usually lay two eggs per year per couple. In Bangladesh they are found in every district, and are known locally as Kura Eegol.

I found this eagle a second time some days later. It was perched on top of another tree and kept looking for fish. It had no luck in the hour I spent watching it. The morning was cold with patches of gusty rain. This probably kept fish in deeper waters. I saw it preening its feathers and, for a remarkable second or two, it retracted its neck, brought down its head and looked at me. For an instant it looked like a Harpy Eagle. Then it took off, flying far, perhaps to a spot where it expected better luck with fish.

So there you have it. Sometimes in birding, you look and look and cannot find your bird, and then suddenly it shows up when you are least expecting it!

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