The Land of Eagles

Cortes Island is home to a sizeable number of eagles. Bill, Hollyhock’s resident naturalist, tells many stories about the bird that are hard to find on the internet.

One, their eyes are amazing. If we were to have the size eyes that an eagle has our eyes would be as big as oranges and we would have two eyelids. Eagles have a second eyelid that is transparent allowing them to keep their eye on their prey and still blink and lubricate the eyeball while in flight.

We would also have five homes. Most eagles build five nests in the tall pines. They have a primary nest where they raise their young, and because each nest weighs about 2,000 pounds, they build a second home just in case the first one collapses. The other three nests are interesting, as Bill explains, the fledglings can be quite obnoxious and demanding. The ma and pa are able to fly to these nearby nests and still monitor the kids needs. I can think of a few parents who would like this arrangement.

And here one more rather interesting fact, eagles can drown. When they catch their prey out at sea, their claws clamp down hard tightening the tendons and muscles in their legs. They are unable to release this grasp until they reach shore and set the meal down. This can be quite exhausting if they are far from shore. I have not seen this, but there are days when you see an eagle doing the breaststroke across the water dragging their fish in tow trying to get to land. Sometimes they don’t make the arduous swim and they drown. Where’s the rescue boat?

Once a week Hollyhock hosts an oyster BBQ for their guests. Each time, Bill walks a handful of leftover salmon to the beach and if we are lucky, the eagles will arrive and snatch a free dinner. These shots are an attempt to capture this event. Sure wish I had a telephoto lens.