I have observed eagles in Edmonds catching and eating crabs. In  one case an eagle scooped up a crab that was floating on or near the surface of the water.

Bill Anderson; Edmonds, WA. USA

On Monday, July 13, 2020, 6:53:18 PM PDT, <edswan2 at comcast.net> wrote:


This morning I saw a Bald Eagle land on a low perch at the top of the bluff near Pt. Whitehorn (between Cherry Point and Birch Bay in Whatcom Co.).  It often sits high up in another tree a few meters away.  It was quickly apparent that it was feeding on something, but I didn't see any feathers from a bird, they often eat seagulls here, and I couldn't figure out the strange shape with my binoculars.  I got my scope on the bird and saw that it was ripping apart a very large Dungeness Crab.  The crab was still alive and feebly waving it's big claws to no effect.

 

The time was near low tide, but not a really low tide.  the crabs sometimes walk across a sandbar that would have been very shallow, I wonder if this is how the eagle was able to see and grab the crab.

 

Good birding, 

Ed

Ed Swan

Nature writer and guide

www.theswancompany.com

edswan2 at comcast.net

206.949.3545

 
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