Yesterday, when walking across the footbridge at MacDonald Park in
Carnation, I noticed an adult Bald Eagle flying downstream toward the
bridge. It seemed a little unusual that it was flying only about 10-15 feet
above the water surface, but then I saw that it was chasing a female
Bufflehead. When they reached the bridge, I thought the eagle would just
continue under the bridge; there was plenty of clearance. Instead, it moved
to fly over the bridge, oblivious to me about 10 feet away, then continued
rapidly in pursuit, seeming to have gained momentum on the descent. Just as
it seemed the eagle could reach out for a grab, the duck hit the water and
dove immediately. The eagle then turned, flew up a few feet then began to
kite for a few seconds, looking for its prey. Now, an eagle isn't really
designed for a kiting maneuver, and it only lasted a few seconds, but then
the duck surfaced. The eagle dropped down for another attempt, and the duck
dove again. All the while, a Double-crested Cormorant and a Common
Merganser were watching the action from opposite sides, each within 20 feet
of the duck. When the duck surfaced once again, a second eagle came from
somewhere to make the next attempt. Again, the duck dove, then this eagle
curved up to kite, while the first eagle made a wide circle. A third time,
the duck surfaced, and I wondered how long it could continue to resist.
When it dove once more to foil the attack, the first eagle gave up and flew
to a nearby perch. The second eagle made another attempt, failed, and
joined the first on the same branch. This time, when the Bufflehead
surfaced, all was calm. Eventually, one of the eagles made a final
half-hearted pass at the duck, who must have felt pretty confident now,
particularly when the eagle gave up and flew away downstream.


Today's result: Bufflehead 1 - Eagle 0.


Scott Ramos
Seattle