Eagles in Alaska
 
These eagle photos were taken in Ninilchik Alaska. Here in Ninilchik there are charter boats to take people out halibut and salmon fishing! When they are done fishing for the day, they go and clean the catch of the day, once the fish are cleaned they bring the scraps down the beach and dump them for the eagles and seagulls to eat. This is a very good spot to view and photograph eagles of all ages. The last picture in this set brings us to Homer, Alaska a little farther south down the highway from Ninilchick, out on what is called the Homer Spit. This was Jean Keene's home, she fed eagles for years here. You can read more about her here:

www.baldeagleinfo.com/eagle/JeanKeene.html

  
 
 
 
 
 
Bald Eagles

General description:

The Bald Eagle is so named for its conspicuous white head and tail. The distinctive white adult plumage is not attained until 5 or more years of age. Immature birds lack this easily identifiable characteristic and can be confused with the Golden Eagle. The immature Bald Eagle’s unfeathered tarsi (lower legs) and whitish wing linings on the forward part of the wings, can be helpful distinctions where the two species coexist. The Bald Eagle is Alaska’s largest resident bird of prey (the Steller’s Sea Eagle is larger) with a wing span up to 7 1/2 feet (2.3 m) long and weights of 8 to 14 pounds (3.6-6.4 kg). Like many raptors, females are larger than males.

  
 
 
 
 
 
Life history:

Found only in North America, Bald Eagles are more abundant in Alaska than anywhere else in the United States. The Alaska population has been estimated to include 30,000 birds at the time of fledging. Bald Eagles are often found along Alaska’s coast, offshore islands, and Interior lakes and rivers. The highest nesting densities occur on the islands of Southeast Alaska. Most Bald Eagles winter in southern Alaska, but some leave the state during cold months. In the Chilkat Valley, over 3,000 birds may congregate in late fall and early winter to feed on spawned-out salmon.

This information and more available at the Alaska Department of fish and game located at:

www.adfg.state.ak.us/pubs/notebook/bird/eagles.php