I saw two very large profiles in a field. Even at a distance they were too big to be anything but eagles. At first it was just two heads. One was feeding on something. Feathers. Fluffy white feathers. The drama began when the second eagle tired of waiting its turn.
Pairs of eagles will team up. They will coordinate an airborne attack on a seagull. While the seagull is fast and can maneuver quickly, eagles have tremendous strength and endurance when they’re determined. A seagull is no match. This pair of eagles was adult and an immature that was just beginning to show white on his head and tail.
When the younger eagle decided it wanted lunch it launched an attack on the adult which here is just raising its left wing. The seagull – lunch – is the brown and white mass behind the adult eagle.
The conflict, a flurry of huge wings, lasted only seconds.
When the younger eagle came down it apparently landed on the prey long enough to grab some lunch. I briefly turned away. The garage door beyond the eagles opened and the story was over.
I’m taking a break for a few days. I’ll be back again later this week.
