We came upon this scene on a Seattle area beach . . . a small stretch of private community beach where we have a pass.

Planted on the pebbles, way far away, too far for my 70-300mm lens, we watched as this Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) wrangled with a second eagle, a group of crows, and a vortex of gulls overhead, all looking for a freebie from the eagle’s fish.

The bird intruders annoyed the eagle enough that it took off with its fish. Gulls grabbed what was left until the second eagle, waiting in a nearby tree, swooped in and flushed the gulls, then grabbed the remaining chunk.

The fish pictured here was long dead, in spite of the implied movement of the first few shots. The eagle was moving the fish to another spot when we showed up.

Bald Eagle catching fish

Fish – ©ingridtaylar

Bald Eagle Fishing

Finding a Spot – ©ingridtaylar

Haliaeetus leucocephalus catching fish

Soaked to the Jodhpurs – ©ingridtaylar

Bald Eagle wingspan

Wingspan – ©ingridtaylar

Bald Eagle eating fish

Dining – ©ingridtaylar

Haliaeetus leucocephalus

2nd Eagle Looking On – ©ingridtaylar

Bald Eagle eating salmon

More Dining – ©ingridtaylar

Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Braveheart the Crow, Wants Some More – ©ingridtaylar

Bald eagle with fish

Had Enough – ©ingridtaylar

Takeoff with Fish – ©ingridtaylar

Bald Eagle and Gull Flying

Gull, flying behind eagle, grabs a dropped remnant – ©ingridtaylar

Gulls and Fish Chunk – ©ingridtaylar

Something\’s in the Air – ©ingridtaylar

Bald Eagle in Flight

Eagle #2 En Route – ©ingridtaylar

Bald Eagle flying with fish

#2 Snagging the Leftovers – ©ingridtaylar