A few days ago when the snow came down hard and heavy, I felt sorry for the birds, as I always do when the weather makes their lives hard to bear. But I had forgotten that not only do some birds — the weak, the injured, and the unlucky — have a hard enough time finding food, but they have to beware of becoming food for other birds.
The forested patches near our house are home to many bald eagles. Because the ocean is nearby, it is ideal for them, especially now as herring time draws near. But until the herring fishery begins, the eagles take advantage of the suffering of other bird species. They are especially fond of snatching seabirds from the water or the beaches.
Out in my backyard, under one of the firs that the eagles love to use as their dining room, I found, discarded, a wing that had been stripped of all meat. My guess is that it was from a loon, as these seem to be one of the eagle’s favourites. I have found several loon carcasses under the dining tree in the past. For the photo, I have put a pop can beside the wing to show the relative size.
In the animal world it still goes that you must “Eat or be eaten.”
Not too much meat left on that bone, eh? That’s a large wing!
Eagles can take surprisingly large birds and fish, and fly off with them. I’ve seen them “swimming” towards the beach (half flying, half paddling the water) while dragging a good-sized salmon.
Survival of the fittest. Harsh, but real
I know. I hate to see it, but eagles have to eat too. Unfortunately, they’re not vegetarians.
Eagles and many other wild creatures. The Circle of Life.
Wow. I’ll never look at eagles in quite the same way. On the other hand, as you said, they’re doing their thing. I eat chicken and turkey.
Exactly. I had lamb the other day and I couldn’t help thinking about the poor little lambie that died.
I know. I’m actually leaning toward being a vegetarian. I don’t think I could be a vegan, though. Too restricting.
More vegetables than meat can’t hurt, but I agree, I couldn’t be a vegan. Besides, I like meat. Just don’t want to overthink it too much.
It is the law of nature. Thanks for the photos! I like the image of the forest in the snow best.
I had the shutter speed too slow and the snow looks a bit streaky, but it was coming down really hard.
Sometimes you deliberately lower the shutter speed to get this particular effect, Anneli.
I will have to read the instructions to find out how to do this on my camera. I’ve been a lazy photographer, just taking my chances, but I miss out on a lot of good dog pictures because they are moving too much, or in this case, the snow falling. I will make a point of looking it up to find out how to do it.
It is truly worth the effort.
Wow, Anneli, you have some fierce activity going on in your yard! I enjoyed your descriptions, the “dining tree,” and the snow photo. The wing photo with the soda can was very informative. How great for you to live here and see so much wilderness and wild activity.
Since I’ve gone camera crazy, looking for things to click on, I’ve paid more attention and have realized how much life (and sometimes death) is all around us. Mostly I look for living things, but it’s a fact that the eagles drop a lot of body parts from their “dining tree.”
Sorry for the bird which gets eaten, sorry for the eagle that starves to death 😦
Beautiful, vicious nature.
God bless all creatures 🙂
That’s life, eh?
The kids have to be fed. Hard to look at though..I remember when Ivy was quite small, the eagles would stalk us on our morning walks. Stay close to Momma little one:).
Definitely a danger here for small dogs and cats.
Picked clean – must have been the best item on the menu. I like that you called the can Pop, not Soda, yes!
They’ve always been pop cans. I’ve heard them called sodas, but I always have to think about what that is (for a split second) and then I realize, “Oh, they mean pop.”
We Michiganders have always called it Pop too, must be a very northern dialect thing! In Vegas, it’s always been Soda. Soda is something you put in the fridge to absorb odors!
Yes, baking soda.
Harsh reality but no getting around it.
I like the forest scene.
I like having the trees around too,
I think it’s also breeding season for bald eagles. That means they’ll be doing more hunting. Pregnant mom needs more food and once the babies hatch both parents will be going nuts trying to feed them.
Re: Soda vs. pop, I can remember when I was a girl that the drink was called soda pop. I guess some folks use the first name and others the last name. 🙂
Yes, the eagles are definitely doing a lot of flying around and shrieking and if they aren’t already building nests, they will be soon. Thanks for the soda pop input.
I think the photo of snow falling on the forest is superb!
I know I didn’t have the setting right, but the snow was coming down so fast and hard (and semi-wet) that it was almost like streaks of white rain, so maybe a faster shutter speed wouldn’t have shown much difference..
Your shutter speed was perfect!
You think? Well … thank you.
Sad, but that’s the life cycle. We eat animals and fish and birds too.
Yes, it’s the hard truth.
Nature is, well, nature.
Not always what you’d expect from “Mother” Nature.
Exactly!
I had given up meat when I was young and single for the very reason that I didn’t want to eat animals. Marriage changed that for me. Didn’t want to cook two different meals. My favorite meat is chicken. I don’t like to eat it off of bones though, because it reminds me. 😛
BTW, I can’t imagine having eagles around as a natural part of my landscape. They are so cool looking. We had a huge variety of birds where we lived in Florida, but an eagle sighting was (and still is) a rare treat.
I’ve always like meat but I don’t like to see things die or get killed. I know that’s not reasonable, but there it is.
I completely get it. I feel the same.
Eat or be eaten. So true. And such a nice discussion in the comments too. From the shutter speed to vegetarianism to soda or pop. 🙂
I was reminded of the eagle taking away the dog and then the phone scene from the movie The Proposal while reading the comments.
I had forgotten about that scene, but you’re right, it really does happen
Don´t be sad, thats how is was, is- and always will be. Nature is as beautiful as sometimes ugly. Your photos are superb again.
Thank you. Yes, nature is like that. I don’t like watching nature shows because reality is hard to take sometimes, but still I love to see animals….
Nature is so harsh. I don’t want to second guess you-know-who but couldn’t we not have sentient, fully emotional beings being prey? Why does it have to be this way? OK, I know you can’t answer that. Just musing out loud, I guess.
I agree. I’d be quite happy if all animals ate plants and if some plants tasted like chicken (haha). But of course there are those people who talk to their plants….
And now that we know trees talk and communicate with each other, that makes it all kind of hard!
Yup. Can’t win.
Like me! 🤗
I wince as I read this. Loons are lovely. Eagles are magestic. The world is cruel for the one eaten, kind for the one who’s enjoyed a good meal. 😬
They don’t tell us that cruel side of things when we’re kids, watching Walt Disney’s movies where everything is beautiful. Then we grow up and it’s like finding out there’s no Santa.
Exactly!!
I really feel for helpless and defenseless creatures in the wild; they are the easiest of targets. Sadly, the “eat or be eaten” rule also affects animals (buffaloes, for examples) that move in their hundreds, as they too tend to lose one or a few more of their own to predators from time to time. If I were to wake up someday as a creature of the wild, I pray I’d have the speed of a cheetah and … perhaps wings to fly.
Poor thing (in the second photo); it was devoured without mercy!
I like the idea of a flying cheetah. Sounds perfect.
We call any drink in a can “pop” which is just like you do! This makes me smile, Anneli! 😀
The fact is I like meat, even lamb and other darling animals. I feel bad about the loon. I don’t really feel sorry for fish although they too seem to have feelings when you have them in an aquarium. They race back and forth and like staring at Christmas tree lights.
I try not to think about feelings of the food I consume but I have a vegan DIL and son who has vegetarian tendencies.
I forgot to tell you I like kale soup! I make mine with chicken with sweet and sour flavorings. 😋
Kale soup with chicken would be good too. I feel the same way about fish. It’s harder to think that they have feelings, but who knows? Maybe they do. I mean feelings besides pain nerves. Do they feel happy and sad? Do they feel love? I doubt it but maybe I don’t know fish, except how to cook them.
I imagine they have a “primitive” sense of pain. 🐠🐠
I mean a fishing hook is sharp! My Dad took us out fishing on Lake Erie, as well as one boyfriend took me to Florida. We always threw anything smaller than a ruler (12 inches) back into the sea or lake. Mainly we hoped for 24″ to make it worth cleaning the scales and bones out. 🐟 🐡
I think so too.
Good to know, it is possible we both think.