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Lance and Paul are right that eagles are super opportunists, taking whatever is about and easy to take. Concerning mergansers, apparently bald eagles regularly go after common mergansers in the tidal portions of the lower Shubenacadie River (and other rivers?); supposedly there is a time in the tide cycle when the mergansers get trapped in shallow pools that are too small for them to easily get away from an attack by either diving or by flying off? Eagles are also well known to be "cleaner-uppers" after the waterfowl hunting season by finding and catching and eating cripples that hunters don't retrieve, and also wounded ducks that later die (to be scavenged by a variety of opportunists), and even ducks or loons etc. that linger too long on lakes that are icing up and get trapped in small openings in the ice. Finally, let's not forget that when it comes to fishing, bald eagles are consummate fishers that go after not only dead and dying fish but primarily healthy fish that wander too close to the surface. Cheers from Jim in Wolfville, 542-9204 ---------- From: James Hirtle <jrhbirder@hotmail.com> Reply-To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca Date: Thu, 17 Aug 2006 22:28:05 +0000 To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca Subject: RE: [NatureNS] bald eagle and gull Over the winter, I've watched many an eagle take herring gulls off the ice at East LaHave. They also seem to be quite proficient with a large duck like the common eider. They do have difficulty lifting that particular duck and usually when eating it, they end up dragging the duck up onto the ice. James R. Hirtle Lunenburg >From: "Laviolette, Lance (EXP)" <lance.laviolette@lmco.com> >Reply-To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca >To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca >Subject: RE: [NatureNS] bald eagle and gull >Date: Thu, 17 Aug 2006 15:21:00 -0400 > >Hi Virginia, > >You're touching on the soft, under-belly of the Bald Eagle's character. >While Bald Eagles do attempt to catch birds and mammels 'on the wing', >their success is usually very low. The majority of their food is >composed of the dead and the dying. This certainly comes as no surprise >to anyone who has visited Sheffield Mills during the annual eagle >festival. In addition, Bald Eagles will steal food from each other when >they get the chance. Chances are that the gull was already dead when the >eagle chanced upon it. > >All the best, > >Lance > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca > > [mailto:naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca] On Behalf Of Paul MacDonald > > Sent: August 17, 2006 2:39 PM > > To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca > > Subject: Re: [NatureNS] bald eagle and gull > > > > Hi Virgina > > While fishing in early spring in years gone by, I've seen > > eagles chasing male common mergansers. They would make > > repeated dive bombs passes at them but I've never seen one > > actually catch one. > > I assumed because the merganser was white, the eagle had > > become conditioned to white chickens in the Valley. Only an > > assumption on my part - the eagle never told me that. The > > duck would dive and I've never seen an eagle actually catch a > > duck. The eagles never bothered the females which are brown. > > I'm quite sure an eagle would kill a gull especially if the > > gull was injured, sick or not paying attention! > > Have a nice summer > > Paul > > > > --- Virginia and Terry <003vgr@imlay.ca> wrote: > > > > > On Thursday this week I saw a bald eagle - 4th year I would > > guess by > > > the brown speckles on his head - on Heather Beach at the edge of a > > > sandbar having gull for breakfast. He left the beak, feet and some > > > feathers and skin. This was very early and I was so disappointed to > > > have missed the Kill. I didn't think an eagle would kill a gull. > > > Would it have captured > > > it from the air or would it have been an injured or old bird? > > > I just love the wild world. > > > Virginia Redden > > > -- > > > Every river that runs into the sea loses its name. > > > Tshi Ghana > > > > > > > > > __________________________________________________ > > Do You Yahoo!? > > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection > > around http://mail.yahoo.com > >
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