Bald Eagles Make Enthusiastic Comeback, Possibly Contributing to Seabird Population Decline
“With more eagles and fewer fish to feed on, the birds are flying to the remote, rocky islands and raiding the nesting colonies of herring gulls and cormorants.”
“Accompanied by a team of student researchers, John Anderson spent several of his summer days on Great Duck – a small, remote island 11 miles south of the entrance to Frenchman Bay.
The natural history professor at the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor travels to the island to study seabirds – gulls, guillemots and Leach’s storm petrels.
This year, some of what he saw was distressing. While gathered on the top of the lighthouse on this island, observers witnessed an aerial attack on seabirds there every 45 minutes.
Bald eagles, their majestic wings spread wide, distinctive white heads and razor-sharp talons, soared in repeatedly to hunt small seabirds. The recovery success of eagles, according to Anderson, is increasingly becoming a threat to seabirds.
These predators, once nearly wiped out in Maine, have made a comeback. “They are having an immediate affect on the decline of seabirds,” Anderson said. “
-Amanat Khullar for the MDI Islander Newspaper
December 29, 2015
All images for this story taken by Nina Duggan.
The published story was written by Amanat Khuller for the MDI Islander Newspaper and features interviews with Dr. John Anderson.
The full story may be viewed through the MDI Islander Newspaper, with further information available on the College of the Atlantic’s website.