The eagle has landed

on me!

Our school mascot is the eagle.  So it was especially exciting to have the opportunity to hold this Golden
Eagle.  What an amazing bird!  The eagle was so heavy and strong, it was an effort to keep my arm up.  Look at those giant talons.

There are people in this area who continue to practice the tradition of horse-riding eagle falconry.  Using trained eagles for hunting, they must support the eagle on one arm while riding a horse!  To do this, they attach to the saddle a wooden crutch that supports the arm holding the eagle.