Bald Eagles served up by Great Blue Heron

At the Hood Canal in the state of Washington, the Bald Eagles come to feed and joust about with one another. The food they are after are a fish called the Midshipmen. The Midshipmen lay eggs in the oyster beds and when the tide recedes they are available food for a variety of birds. For the eagles it seems there are two sources of this food, one is the Hood Canal itself, and the other is the Great Blue Herons. Wherever you see herons standing in the shallow water, you will likely see an eagle come swooping in either right at them or just next to them. But the eagles are always on the watch and when the see a heron flying with a fish in its claws they are off to the chase. In the image above you can see the eagle closing in on the heron who has just release the fish which you can see just below its wing.

The herons know the eagles are not after them but the fish, so letting go of the prize is a smart thing for them to do. Here you see the eagle stopping its pursuit of the heron and zeroing in on the fish.

And now success for the eagle as it grabs the fish in mid air. Another story for the heron who will have to return to its patient wait for available fish in the shallow waters of the canal.

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Notes To My Mother

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