Hi tweets

Bald eagles are notorious nest-raiders of other birds, especially gulls and
other sea-birds that nest in exposed colonies. Martin Muller also tells of
the Greenlake Bald Eagles raiding crow nests.

One time I was backpacking the Washington Coast near Cape Alava. There was
a small colony of Glaucous-winged Gulls on a small island-let not far off
the coast, which was regularly raided by a pair of Bald Eagles. We were
watching it at one point when it became clear that the eagles were going
after an adult Glaucous-wing. They worked together, diving on it and
forcing it down into the water, where it would flap and try to regain
flight, only to have the other come down on it. One of the eagles and the
gull ended up both in the water. I never was able to tell the outcome, due
to the distance and the waves that kept concealing them, but it was pretty
exciting.



And to all that are seeing the (kumlien's) Iceland gull, best of luck and
please post some photo's for all to see. My daughter is now four days old,
and it looks like there is no way I will be able to shake free long enough
to get down there, so I will have to catch this one vicariously.

John Chapman
Seattle
ragweed at igc.org