Not all of us are ever lucky enough to see a bald eagle in our life. As an endangered species, spotting a bald eagle can be a rare sighting. However, being able to feed one is an entirely different story! Check out how this one man decided to interact with a huge flock of bald eagles!

22. Bald Eagles

Image: toftphoto.photoshelter.com

Bald eagles have been the national bird of the United States since the 1700s. Their majestic flight and beautiful bodies made them the perfect symbol for a country looking to establish democracy. Unfortunately, the bald eagle wasn’t always treated fairly.

21. Hunted Down

Image: Hakai Magazine

For many, many years, hunting for bald eagle was a huge sport. This caused the bird to start dwindling in numbers. In the 1700s the population was around 300,000 to 500,000.

20. The 1950s

Image: Defenders of Wildlife

In the 1950s, the bald eagle once again began to saw their numbers decreasing but this time to an entirely different reason. High levels of a chemical known as DDT was causing the birds to die. Their population began to suffer and experts began to worry that the American symbol would be no more. After a few more years…

19. Getting Better

Image: YouTube

Fortunately, bald eagle populations have been able to survive. Through conservation efforts, the bald eagle can continue to be the national bird of the US and enjoy its life in North America. Regardless, seeing a whole flock of them is pretty miraculous and the man you are about to meet had the most amazing experience!

18. Diets

Image: National Audubon Society

So what exactly do bald eagles eat? Bald eagles eat a very interesting diet of fish, snakes, and sometimes even slightly bigger animals like rabbits or muskrats. These guys have a hearty appetite and love eating just like the rest of us.

You’ll never guess what happened when a fisherman tried to feed a huge flock of wild birds!

17. A Flock

Image: Imgur.com

So how would you react if you saw a flock of bald eagles around you? Would you be excited or scared? Alaskan fisherman Jessie Peek was on the dock near his boats when he came across a flock of bald eagles. This situation was pretty common as birds come to the boat all the time, but there was something special about the way these birds started to gather around the man…

16. Fisherman

Image: YouTube

While this might seem like an extraordinary sight to the rest of us, to Peek it’s “just another day in Alaska”. He’s used to feeding eagles and he’s not scared of them. But there’s usually only one bird or a couple of them that dare to get so close to people. This time there were more than 20! The man acted on instinct when he saw them coming…

15. How Everything Started

Image: YouTube

The man reacted to them perfectly! Fortunately, he got it all on camera and the photos are breathtaking. We must say, if he didn’t capture the moment on video, no one would believe him. Here’s how everything started. You won’t believe how calm the man is while these birds fly above his head!

14. One Eagle

Image: YouTube

The scene starts with one eagle standing on the deck, looking around. Quickly Peek comes out from the corner holding a bowl filled with fish. You probably think he was trying to feed that one bird, but wait until you see what happens next!

13. Throwing Out

Image: YouTube

Suddenly, Peek throws the fish at the first bald eagle. The eagle rushes over to the fish and quickly eats it up because in the next second an entire flock of bald eagles approaches the scene seemingly out of nowhere. This is when things start to get interesting and you won’t believe why…

12. Feeding

Image: YouTube

From there, Peek began to keep throwing food over at the birds as they rushed over to the main area. Peek then bends down and ends up at face level with the birds. He continues to throw food over without a care in the world. And then…

11. More Birds

Image: YouTube

As quick as light, even more birds showed up out of the blue. However, that didn’t phase Peek at all. He just continued to throw out the fish and enjoyed watching the bald eagles fill themselves up. Then he does the unthinkable!

10. Close-Up

Image: YouTube

At one point, you can see Peek holding onto one piece of fish. Without any hesitation, he holds the fish up to one of the bald eagle’s face and waits for it to grab it. The eagle looked at the food but refused to pick at it from Peek’s hand. When he throws it away…

9. Thrown Away

Image: YouTube

Since the bald eagle did not want to accept the food from his hand, Peek once again threw it into the crowd to enjoy. The birds continued to ravage on the food and Peek kept eye-level with them and watched the birds feast. You’ll never guess what happened when the man ran out of fish!

8. No More

Image: YouTube

Eventually, Peek runs out of food to hand over to the birds and shows them the empty bowl. The birds accept this and just hang around the dock. The person recording the video continued to film the birds as they slowly moved about on the dock. They were still hungry and what they did next surprised everyone!

7. Still Hungry

Image: YouTube

Even though the food was over, the birds continued to walk on the dock, hoping that they might receive some more. When people saw the video, they were expecting the birds to attack, but something else happened instead. The video went viral for the craziest reason!

6. YouTube Sensation

Image: YouTube

Peek decided to upload the video of him feeding the birds onto YouTube. Since the sight of a bald eagle is so rare, not to mention an entire flock, the Internet went wild. The video currently has an unbelievable amount of views.

5. Views

Image: YouTube

The YouTube video has a little over 8 million views now. People in the comments section are blown away by the sight of the bald eagles. But, they are especially amazed at how casually Peek was feeding them and how he offered one of them food right to his face.

4. Comments

Image: YouTube

One commenter wrote under the video saying, “I can’t tell you how much I respect what you guys do. Watching this makes me want to come out there and just take in all its majestic!! Stay safe and may good weather bless your fishing!!”

3. More Comments

Image: YouTube

You, sir, are amazing,” wrote another. “Kudos to you for feeding these beautiful birds a shrimp dinner.”

Everyone in the comments was as excited as Peek seemed to be to feed the eagles.

2. Getting Better

Image: Imgur.com

In 2007, bald eagles were officially removed from the endangered species list. Conservation efforts have eliminated the possibility of bald eagles going completely extinct. Although they are no longer classified as endangered, bald eagles are still threatened.

1. Habitat Loss

Image: YouTube

Habitat loss is one of the biggest threats to bald eagles these days. With wooded areas being cut up, it becomes harder for bald eagles to find a place to live. However, it is great to know that there are people out there who truly appreciate the majestic beauty of the bald eagle.