Amateur Photographer Captures Intense Mid-Air Battle Between Eagle and Rabbit

An amateur photographer has captured the intense moment a mid-air struggle happened between an eagle and a rabbit.

Based in Hampton, Virginia, Jennifer Began was at a Virginia Beach golf club with her camera when the drama ensued. The eagle appeared above the 18-hole Honey Bee Golf Course around 9am, where Began admits she didn’t realize what it had in its claws at first.

Speaking to the Charlotte Observer, she said:

I was in complete awe. I was the only one there, but I still kind of looked around to see if anyone else was seeing this happen. My mouth was literally hanging open in surprise.

After realizing what was actually happening, Began, a hobbyist, managed to catch the struggle on camera. She recalls that the rabbit continued to try and break free even after the eagle reached its nest in a loblolly pine.

The eagle held the rabbit down by the neck with its beak wide open almost in a defensive manner until the rabbit stopped moving... Then it picked it back up, circled right over my head and back to the nest.

She says the rabbit’s fate was sealed when the eagle perched on a nearby branch and watched its two babies feast.

Of the incident, Began says it’s “given [her] a boost of confidence to keep shooting and have patience and perseverance.”

Images courtesy, and used with permission of, Jennifer Began.