Fisher maleThe male fisher started the excitement at 8:20 AM, leaping up onto the little feeder for the one remaining piece of ham fat. We replenished the offering, and an hour later the eagle showed he was learning fast by swooping, grabbing, and taking his prize to a branch at the edge of the yard. Three crows saw what he had and followed, landing around him as he looked defensively at two of them. He turned to eating, mostly ignoring them as one or another flew toward him, sometimes landing on his back for a second or so—too fast to see if they did more. Eventually he finished and disappeared over the far horizon.
We were back to usual as the small feeder became densely covered by common redpolls with one pine siskin in the foreground. At any hint of danger, all would fly off and trickle back to again feed shoulder to shoulder and beak to beak, letting others land among them as they kept eating. Redpolls always impress me with their lack of aggression as they feed so closely.
Redpolls w/ siskin
Hoary redpole male
On one of the flights of fright, one remained behind. It was lighter than the others, making me take a second look. Could it be a hoary redpoll? The stripes on its under parts were fainter than the others, and the breast color of this male was pinker and less red than the others. Hoaries can be easy or hard to spot depending on how light or dark they are, but I’m calling this one a hoary. If somebody knows better, let me know.
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Then something happened I’d not seen before. The eagle swooped in for another helping and carried it high in a red pine. Crows gathered as before but were more and bolder—at least 11 of them. One after another, individuals flew to a branch above the eagle and dropped down to touch or land on it. The camera caught bold ones that landed and pecked before leaping away with the eagle mostly ignoring them. The eagle's beak was always either full or busy pecking at the meat held in its talons. The two pictures show both. When the eagle finished its meat and just sat there, the crows gradually flew off a few at a time.
A good day again.
Thank you for all you do,
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center