This story began with the posting called an infestation of eagles. It is continued here as eagles feast and fight. The final posting will show an aspect of eagle behaviour that was new to me.
Humans retreated and left the beach and fish to the eagles. Many eagles had taken an interest in the fish, but which one would get it? Not unexpectedly, it was the largest adult. Among raptors, females are larger than males, so it is probably a female who flew in and grabbed the fish (a sucker, from the look of it).
The eagle quickly set to tearing off bits of flesh and downing them.
Abruptly, the eagle hid its fish under its body and made agitated calls to something overhead.
This somewhat blurry shot shows the problem: a challenger for the prize.
The two eagles skirmished, but the first to arrive was larger and it prevailed.
The first (larger, female?) eagle triumphed. The challenger accepted the hierarchy and waited patiently for scraps. What happened next will be the substance of the next posting.
The skirmish picture (#5) was taken by Finn Grathwol and is used with permission.
What a great photo story. I can hardly wait for the next instalment. Thanks
“Hiding the fish” is stunning…who has ever been lucky enough to see this event, except you of course?