My sister formerly lived in Alaska, where I visited many times.

Once, in a restaurant in Homer, AK (Land's End, at the end of the 5 mile spit into Kachemak Bay) we saw a Bald Eagle dive from a low post on a pier.  He went out of sight for about 10 seconds, returning to the post with a big gull in its talons.  (We presume he caught it on the ground.)  He quickly tore the feathers away, knowing that its fellow eagles would try to take his catch from him.  The entire restaurant's clientele rushed to the window to watch.

Earlier, on a boat from Seward, we saw an eagle finishing off the remains of a gull on the shore.

The captain of that boat (a birding/nature trip to Resurrection Bay) told me about an occasion that he saw an eagle flying with a salmon.  Several gulls, seeing that his talons otherwise occupied, harassed him fairly closely.  When one gull got too close, the eagle in one swift move dropped the fish, turned upside down in the air, and grabbed the gull.

Hope these short tales give a sense of how omnivorous eagles can be with respect to gulls.  

Tom Grahame


On Nov 14, 2011, at 8:48 PM, jgbrc wrote:

> I witnessed a similar event at McMillan Reservoir this weekend. 
>  
> Checked out the Reservoir in the late afternoon Sunday, and was surprised that virtually no gulls were out on the water.  Looking around, I noticed an adult Bald Eagle flying in large circles.  As it flew, it began pulling tighter circles with a lone Herring gull that happened to fly by.  The Gull flapped faster and faster until the eagle lost interest went back to it's perch.  The gull quickly flew away to the south.
>  
> I never thought a Bald Eagle would go after a Gull, let alone in the air, but now I know better!
>  
> Jason Berry
> Washington, DC
> 
> --- On Mon, 11/14/11, harry lotis <> wrote:
> 
> 
> From: harry lotis <>
> Subject: Re: [MDOSPREY] Huge gull flock, minus one
> To: 
> Date: Monday, November 14, 2011, 5:08 PM
> 
> 
> Fred,
> 
> We have 3 eagles at Chesapeake Beach/Fishing Creek. I know of 3 occurrences
> of eagles swooping down for road kill. off 260/ rt 2
> 
> Harry
> 
> On Mon, Nov 14, 2011 at 12:55 PM, Fred Shaffer <>wrote:
> 
>> I was out enjoying a huge group of gulls on Schoolhouse Pond during lunch
>> today, having just completed my first scan through the flock, when all the
>> gulls flushed, flying in ever widening circles away from the pond.  Looking
>> up, I saw a Red-tailed Hawk, which continued flying to the east, and an
>> adult Bald Eagle, which circled lower and lower.  As I watched, the eagle
>> dove in a manner similar to an Osprey hunting fish.  The eagle landing on
>> top of a hapless Laughing Gull that had remained on the water.  The eagle
>> quickly dispatched its victim and then flew off with the gull still in its
>> talons.  The gull was completely limp with the extended wings of gull
>> flopping beneath the eagle as it flew.  I suspect that the gull was already
>> injured before the attack as it did not take flight with the rest of the
>> flock.  Total gull numbers included:
>> 
>> Laughing Gull: 1,013
>> Ring-billed Gull:  18
>> Herring Gull:  22
>> 
>> Also present were 37 Northern Shovelers and 8 Double-crested Cormorants.
>>   I suspect that gull numbers will be low at Schoolhouse Pond during the
>> next few days after today's excitement.  Needless to say, there are none
>> out there now.
>> 
>> Fred Shaffer
>> 
>> Crofton, Anne Arundel
>> 
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> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> *Harry Lotis*
> *Owings, Md*
> 
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