(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . The Daily Bucket - oystercatchers vs eagle [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-06-24 June 2023 Salish Sea, Pacific Northwest Last week it was surprising to see a pair of Black Oystercatchers mating on an offshore rock. By June they are usually incubating eggs. Could they be re-nesting? Then I remembered an incident a week previous. On that very same rock, a Bald Eagle was divebombed by a pair of oystercatchers (and a gull for good measure). Oystercatchers never like eagles, but during this season eagles are especially dangerous to their nests. June 10: Eagle screeching at oystercatcher Watching the other oystercatcher approach from right A gull got in on the action. Eagles are predators of gull eggs and young too. The two oystercatchers attacked from all sides, keeping the eagle off balance. Their shrill screams could be heard all over the bay. Here’s a short video of some of the action. You can see the oystercatchers have the upper hand even though they are far smaller than the eagle. Their speed and maneuverability dominate a perched bird, even a big one. And that long sharp beak makes a formidable weapon. . After the eagle decamped, the oystercatchers landed on the rock. They had stuff to say. Black oystercatchers live only along the coast from Alaska to Baja California, feeding exclusively in the intertidal zone. Because of their limited habitat they are not numerous. Oystercatchers nest on the ground, laying their eggs sometime in May, usually on offshore rocks where they are near food sources but more protected from terrestrial predators than at mainland sites. However — Their year-round dependence on this narrow band of habitat makes these birds particularly vulnerable to both natural and human disturbance. Predation by mammals, such as mink, river otters and bears, as well as by gulls, ravens, and eagles takes a toll on oystercatchers, particularly on the eggs and newly hatched chicks. Alaska Fish & Wildlife The day after the oystercatchers drove the eagle away, I was on a headland where I could see the offshore rock from a different angle. The oystercatchers were wandering around a flat spot, which would have been a perfect nesting location. No eggs or nestlings were visible. Had the eagle destroyed their nest earlier the day before, or before that? Or maybe it was one of the local ravens whose nestlings had just fledged? Or one of the many gulls, also currently nesting? This is a hazardous time for breeding oystercatchers. June 11. The nearer offshore rock is where the action was. I’m usually by the beach over to the right, but was accompanying the raven rescue team at this waterfront home that day. Closeup of oystercatcher and empty flat spot Black oystercatchers are known to nest again if they lose a clutch of eggs or young, Replacement clutches laid into mid-Jul on Cleland I., BC, and in Prince William Sound, AK (Groves 1984, BAA). Nests with eggs found as late as 6 Aug in Alaska and 19 Aug in British Columbia (Webster 1941b, Campbell et al. 1990b). Birds of the World A week after the eagle confrontation I saw the oystercatchers mating. June 17 Perhaps this clutch will survive. Fingers crossed. 🦠 Overcast and dry the Pacific Northwest islands. Temp in 60s. Calm wind. What’s up in nature in your neighborhood? [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/6/24/2177280/-The-Daily-Bucket-oystercatchers-vs-eagle Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/