Bald Eagle 8964

Bald Eagle Aggression

     Winter has arrived, and with it the last salmon run of the year in Alaska. With the bounty making its way up the river to the spawning grounds, bald eagles from as far away as Washington and the Aleutian Islands congregate to eat enough to last them through the long winter. Motivated by the desire to eat as much as possible, tensions between the birds is high. The result is heightened aggressions that usually are manifested through attempts to steal another bird’s catch or just general disagreements with each other. The latter seemed to be the case between these two three-year-old bald eagles. With no fish present to steal, the attacking bird on the right was having other issues.