Fine Art Photography by David Clow

This beautiful adult was not healthy enough to be released back into the wild. It is cared for at the North Island Wildlife  Recovery Centre in Errington, BC

Many of the bald eagles, both adult and juveniles, get ambushed for the fish they have just caught - so often that they no longer bring their catch back to a roosting site, to eat at their leisure. Instead, they have learned to start eating their fish as soon as they begin their short flight  back to their roost - literally 'eating on the fly'.

Up to 200 juvenile and adult bald eagles were feeding on the fish lying dead on the water's surface.  The fish had  just been violently pulled up to the water's surface, 200 feet above their ocean bottom habitats. This was the result of twice daily, 16 knot tidal currents, on the British Columbia coast.

This adult bald eagle had just caught a small Hake bottom feeding fish) and was immediatelyly ambushed by a 2nd eagle - from above. As part of it's defence strategy, the eagle dropped the fish, and rolled onto its back in mid air, with talons ready to strike the attacker.

This type of harrassment happened on a regular basis during this unique feeding opportunity on the west coast of British Columbia.

this type of battle wa a moment by moment occurence during the 2 hour window when fish would be thrust to the opcvean surface, twice each day.

This largest raptor in the UK became extinct in the early 1900's. It was successsfully reintroduced to the west coast of Scotland in the 1970's, from birds originating in Norway. They were later reintroduced to the east coast  early in the new millenium. There are currently about 150 breeding pairs in the UK.