NORTHERN BALD EAGLE 345 



times make a deterrainod effort even after such strong fliers as Geese, Brant 

 and Pintail. * * * 



The grouse of these islands — the Sooty Grouse — have a hard time. As soon 

 as the broods are hatched they are led out by the mother bird to sun them- 

 selves on the sand dunes among the small spruces along the shoreline. During 

 this season this strip is carefully covered by low-flying Eagles which quarter 

 the ground just as a Marsh-hawk covers a marsh, except that the Eagle flies 

 a little higher and usually on motionless wings. The result was an almost 

 complete extermination of the Grouse, broods of one or two chickens only were 

 seen in a few places, and twice single chicks without any parent. 



I. J. Van Kammen (1916) writes: "At Unalaska there was found 

 at different times around several eagle eyries the feathered remains 

 of nearly every species common to those parts indicating that seem- 

 ingly a bird diet is as desirable as one of fish. Among the water 

 birds found were puffins, auklets, murres, nmrrelets, guillemots, 

 ducks, and several species of waders, while among the song bird vic- 

 tims were Alaskan Longspurs, Aleutian Rosy Finches, Western 

 Savannah Sparrows, Shumigan Fox Sparrows, and a sub-species of 

 the Song Sparrow." 



To sum up, the eagle's bill of fare is most varied, especially during 

 the seasons when fish are not easily obtained. It includes all kinds 

 of waterfowl, grebes, loons, gulls, any of the Alcidae, cormorants, 

 coots, all kinds of ducks and geese, grouse, ptarmigan, and even the 

 smaller land birds. Many kinds of small mammals, as mentioned 

 above, are taken ; fox farmers complain that eagles kill many young 

 and even adult foxes; even the porcupine has been attacked, with 

 disastrous results for the eagle; hunters complain that eagles kill 

 young fawns and sometimes older deer. As eagles do not disdain 

 carrion they may often be seen in company with ravens feeding on 

 the carcasses of any animals they can find. 



Behavior. — Eagles, like many other birds of prey, spend much of 

 their time sitting immovable on some favorite perch, where thej^ will 

 remain for hours, unless disturbed, moved by hunger, or stimulated 

 to action by the sight of game. Nothing, however, within their 

 range of vision escapes their notice. Dr. Herrick (1924c) watched 

 one, standing guard within sight of its nest; "for three and one half 

 hours he had not apparently moved and had not been seen to lift 

 even a foot." 



Eagles are generally not gregarious, but they often gather in 

 flocks about their fishing groimds in southern Alaska. J. S. Dixon 

 (1909) "once saw more than 15 eagles sitting in a single spruce tree 

 waiting for a school of herring, and at a distance it appeared like a 

 magnolia tree in blossom because only the white heads were discern- 

 ible." Alfred M. Bailey (1927) "saw a flock containing at least 300 

 March 10 at Klawack, where herring were schooling. Twenty-one 



83561—37 23 



