Back when I lived in the Great Lakes region, where Bald Eagles were much mor
scarce than here on the west coast, I had the impression that these birds
were mere scavengers. They would feed on carp that were easy to catch in
spawning pools or feed on dead animals found in open areas..... I was much
more impressed with Golden Eagles, true hunters that would tackle larger and
more difficult prey.

However, over the past few years my perception has changed. This past
weekend, I was reminded of the hunting capacity of this great bird of prey.
I watched an adult as it carried off a duck that it had captured (there was
some disagreement whether it was a Bufflehead or a Hooded merg)
nevertheless, it was interesting to watch as the bird was subdued, carried
ot a perch, dissected, the breast consumed and the remains left for the true
scavengers.

THis incident reminded me of a previous time where another Bald Eagle was
harassing a female bufflehead and repeatedly dive-bombed it until the bird
was either chased to water too shallow to allow a sufficient dive, or too
tired to successfully dive.

A friend recently related a story whereby a bald eagle was seen chasing a
green-winged teal. I perceive these ducks as not only very fast but also
very maneuvrable. How many times has a distant flock of teal looked liked
wheeling shorebirds? Anyway, the eagle, in a straight powered flight (no
cheating like falcons using gravity for fast dives), kept gaining on the
teal until eventually the only escape possible for the teal was to make a
dangerous dive into the water.

In the past, I had never witnessed eagles even giving ducks a second glance
but here on the west coast at least, in winter, in shallow water, the eagles
are significant predators of small ducks.


Don Cecile
5835 River Road
Port Alberni, BC, CANADA V9Y 6Z5
eMAIL: dcecile at cln.etc.bc.ca
home tel: 604-723-4816, work: 604-723-8195