Hoax Alert: Bald Eagle Attacks Hudson Kayaker

Editor’s Note: Thanks to a fellow kayaker I’ve learned that there was no bald eagle attack. It was an unfortunate hoax by the Riverkeeper blogger (no, not on April Fool’s Day). That’s glad news for both species involved, but I’m sorry to pass along misinformation that was presented in a straight fashion by what’s normally a terrific organization. The Riverkeeper photo blog has now inserted a “just kidding” clarification.  

Here’s the original post that has been revealed as a hoax:

This is a little out of our usual range, but it’s hard to resist mentioning this odd, brief note in the Riverkeeper photo log. It seems that on April 17 a Hudson River kayaker was attacked by a bald eagle near Castleton, New York. Local paddlers got word of the incident through the NYCKayaker email list hosted by the Hudson River Watertrail Association. With Bald Eagles becoming more common as far south as the Bronx (nearby Westchester County is home to a thriving annual Audubon Society-sponsored Eagle Fest), urban paddling daytrippers have taken an understandable interest in the news. 

Riverkeeper records no outcome (from which we can infer it was brief and all parties went home safely), and the eagle is a small smudge in this photo. But wow! We’ll research some of the possible causes for the aggression, or misguided defense.