..... as salmon lay and fertilize their eggs during spawning in many rivers up and down the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. Millions of their eggs will get washed down rivers to the ocean. Those that don't get snatched out of the river by gulls will end up being eaten by crustaceans at the bottom of the ocean.
Large numbers of salmon will be killed by bears and the fishing industry. Bears will tend to eat mostly female salmon to get to the protein-rich eggs in their bellies. Gulls will take out the eyes of the dead salmon, as their bills are not capable of ripping through the tough outer skin. Otherwise they have to feed on carcasses that have been ripped open by bears. Despite the massive numbers of salmon spawning in this stretch of the river, I did not see a single Bald Eagle.
This spawn was on the Big Qualicum River on Vancouver Island.
Excellent documentation series Tony. We have a few rivers around here where we can see pretty much the same, around this time of year.
Very odd that you saw no eagles, usually it's a feast for them.
louie champan wrote:
Excellent documentation series Tony. We have a few rivers around here where we can see pretty much the same, around this time of year.
Very odd that you saw no eagles, usually it's a feast for them.
Thanks Louie.
It seems the eagles prefer the more open area at the oceanside.
