interesting event observed during a float trip

I took a bit of time off from the honey-do list yesterday and went for a
float on the lower Clark Fork river. There were a few rising fish, after
tricos I think, but not much action on our part. At one point we noticed two
Bald Eagles perched in a tree overlooking the river, a couple hundred yards
upstream of the pair was another eagle roosted in a tree. That boy was BIG,
we think he was an immature Golden Eagle. Anyway, the youngster took flight
across the river, one the Balds spotted it and took off after it. The Bald
dove and whacked the immature bird right in the middle of its back and
knocked him out of the air- it landed in a heap of feathers in the rocks on
the far bank (It looked like the immature bird was significantly bigger than
the Bald Eagle- anybody know if Goldens are bigger than Balds?). The Bald
flew off and perched in a nearby tree. The youngster spend a few minutes
preening and eventually flew off and landed in a tree- not all that far from
the Baldy.

Made an otherwise slow trip rather interesting!

john