Even used Thesaurus.com to try and find a better word than herding but I could not because that is what these duck are doing to the herring. It is a little hard to see in this photo but the dark shapes with white patches are common murres under water feeding on a school of herring. The herrings defense is to form a ball that revolves within itself. We are next to this herring ball on a whale watching tour because there are NO humpback whales close. If they were close we would be back from the herring ball because they like to lunge feed and you do not want to be to close if that is happening. Check May 9th post.
Bald Eagles
Bald Eagles are frequently sighted in our area. At times they can be seen in large numbers. This is usually where food supplies are high. For example this could be in areas with high concentrations of baitfish or along the rivers in the fall when the salmon are spawning. They are not migratory, but do move around with the food supply. As mentioned earlier when the salmon are spawning we often see many along the rivers, while there will be fewer along the coastline. With little need for camouflage their white head and tail feathers can be spotted easily. The female is slightly larger and her white head extends down a bit farther onto the body, but it is subtle. It takes these birds 4.5 – 5 years to acquire this unique plumage. As juveniles they are a brown colour. With exceptional eyesight and the ability to view 270 degrees they are understandably often seen in high perches and in trees near points and passageways.
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