narrative/storytelling :: exercise for narrative/storytelling : page 1 : page 2

Step Three:

Evaluative thought stimulated from storytelling (speaking out loud) process.

First, do I want to know more about the mechanics of how a bald eagle hunts?

From the fact sheet: Bald eagles have such keen eyesight, they can spot preys within a three-square-mile area.

The report to the radio station is talking about a parameter of one square mile, so it is within the bald eagle's hunting range. It looks like, the rabbits are the object(s) of the eagle's hunt.

But the Internet:

+ Rabbit Fact Page

says that rabbits do not come out during the daytime, while the report has stated it is day time. Can that be a mistake in the reporting? Could the animals be hares rather than rabbits? Hares live in open areas with little cover. However it is not usual for a bald eagle to snatch a rabbit, especially a cottontail rabbit, off the ground because it weighs no more than three pounds while a hare can weigh up to ten pounds. It is interesting to note that, even as powerful as the bald eagle is, it weighs only from nine to fourteen pounds. The female is bigger than the male, but even females can only carry no more than four pounds off the ground.

The information you have read states that the bald eagle has very strong talons and a powerful hooked beak. If the target is a hare, which is a lot heavier than the cottontail rabbits, will the eagle tear up the prey before it brings it to its young?

It is also known that bald eagles live with their mates for life. Usually, the female will sit with the chicks and the male will hunt. In the report, there is no mention of another eagle. Why is that? Where is the other eagle?

The bald eagle's habitat is coastlines, lakes, rivers, swamps and marshes. They seem to like water, and while cottontail rabbits can also be found in marshes, they are found more often in drier areas. Hares also live in dry areas. Reports of sighting put these species together in an area measuring approximately one mile in diameter, which is very interesting. Where exactly does this incident take place?

Rabbits and hares have many offspring at the same time, therefore it would be unlikely for the female rabbit or hare to have only a single baby, although not impossible.

Both rabbits and hares have well-developed hind legs. What might be the ground area covered per push of the hind legs?

The reports of the wildlife sighting, have many conflicting facts. Now I need to decide what aspects of the original reports to the radio station I want to find out more about; and determine the direction or focus of my research accordingly.

(Note: No matter what your decision is, the thinking process itself is most important.)

+ Summary of this Learning process