Bald Eagles Make Enthusiastic Comeback, Possibly Contributing to Seabird Population Decline
“With more eagles and fewer fish to feed on, the birds are flying to the remote, rocky islands and raiding the nesting colonies of herring gulls and cormorants.”
“Accompanied by a team of student researchers, John Anderson spent several of his summer days on Great Duck – a small, remote island 11 miles south of the entrance to Frenchman Bay.
The natural history professor at the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor travels to the island to study seabirds – gulls, guillemots and Leach’s storm petrels.
This year, some of what he saw was distressing. While gathered on the top of the lighthouse on this island, observers witnessed an aerial attack on seabirds there every 45 minutes.
Bald eagles, their majestic wings spread wide, distinctive white heads and razor-sharp talons, soared in repeatedly to hunt small seabirds. The recovery success of eagles, according to Anderson, is increasingly becoming a threat to seabirds.
These predators, once nearly wiped out in Maine, have made a comeback. “They are having an immediate affect on the decline of seabirds,” Anderson said. “
-Amanat Khullar for the MDI Islander Newspaper
December 29, 2015
In an impressive aerial display, these gull parents chase an adult Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) out of the nesting colony. Roughly 800 gull nests exist on the southern end of Great Duck Island, 12 miles off the coast of Maine. Monitored closely by the College of the Atlantic’s Alice Eno Research Station, this island is vital habitat for many of the North Atlantic’s iconic species. Home to Herring Gulls (Larus argentatus) and Great black-backed Gulls (Larus marinus), these birds come back every summer to mate and raise young.
An adult Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) soars over a late winter wooded landscape.
An adult Herring Gull (Larus smithsonianus) chases a fledgling off of its territory on the nesting grounds, inadvertently pursuing the youngster through several other territories to the screams of other adult birds.
Common Eiders ( Somateria mollissima) nest together on these shores as well. Maine's largest sea duck, these social birds form groups where they will raft together with all of their young. Upon seeing Bald Eagles, the mother's give an alarm cry, prompting all birds to dive under the water's surface.
Already formidable in its own right, a first year Bald Eagle soars on fresh wings over the nesting colony. It will take this juvenile 5 years to develop the namesake white head and tail.
Mating for life, Bald Eagles form a strong bond that can last 20 years or more in the wild. This sequence of photos was one mate bringing it cormorant catch over to its spouse after prompting a fight from refusing to share.
Even our largest raptor can wind up in the doghouse with its partner...
All images for this story taken by Nina Duggan.
The published story was written by Amanat Khuller for the MDI Islander Newspaper and features interviews with Dr. John Anderson.
The full story may be viewed through the MDI Islander Newspaper, with further information available on the College of the Atlantic’s website.