AVIAN SCAVENGERS
Avian Scavengers Feed on a Deer Carcass (2.5 minutes; posted August 9, 2022)
Bald Eagles, Common Ravens, a Turkey Vulture and a Red-tailed Hawk recorded during a series of 10-second videos taken by trail camera on March 28, 2022. Location: north side of Grays Harbor, three miles west of Hoquiam, Washington.
One of the ravens at the carcass is banded. The bands are visible 1 minute, 54 seconds into the video.
Coastal Raptors banded that raven on June 1, 2014 near a settling pond at the Hoquiam wastewater treatment plant (3 miles the southeast of the March 2022 location). He was at least one year of age in 2014 and so became at least nine years old during the spring of 2022.
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Crows Snatch a Fisherman’s Bait (1 minute; posted August 19, 2022)
This video of crows raiding a fisherman’s bait was created from a series of photos taken by Tom Rowley on May 5, 2015 north of Ocean Shores, Washington.
BALD EAGLE CAPTURE AND BANDING
Adult Male Bald Eagle Captured and Banded with Visual ID Band B/O (3 minute, 45 second video; posted August 9, 2022)
Adult male Bald Eagle captured, banded and sampled for contaminants and disease for Coastal Raptors’ scavenger monitoring research north of Ocean Shores, Washington on June 12, 2015. The photos used to create this video were taken by Tom Rowley.
We fitted the eagle with visual identification band B/O. Because he had a fully white head and tail, yellow beak and yellow eye irises, we judged that he was at least four years of age (that’s typically the minimum age at which Bald Eagles molt to a fully white head and tail). Given his age in 2015, he’s at least age 11 as of 2022.
There have been 295 re-sightings of B/O as of August 10, 2022; all have been on the beach at Ocean Shores. These many re-sightings have been made in all seasons, indicating that B/O is in the area year-round.
Over the years, B/O has often spotted with a larger Bald Eagle, also in adult plumage. We’ve no doubt this is his mate.
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First-year Male Bald Eagle Captured and Banded with Visual ID Band R/O (2 minutes; posted August 26, 2022)
First-year male Bald Eagle captured, banded and sampled for contaminants and disease for Coastal Raptors’ scavenger monitoring research north of Ocean Shores, Washington on February 27, 2014. Photos used to create this video were taken by Tom Rowley. The dark plumage, brown eyes and black beak indicate that this eagle was less than one year of age at the time we captured him.
R/O was re-sighted five times after banding. All re-sightings were made within one month of capture and within a few miles of the capture location.
