With their heat plumage, vivid yellow beaks and extra predatory temperament, one in every of these youthful bald eagles may simply be mistaken for an grownup golden eagle in maybe one other habitat, however right here in Alaska there’s unmistakable proof of the apex raptor that guidelines over their rivers in ever-larger rivers Quantity. Lengthy, quiet moments by the water are interrupted by loud screeching and outstretched wings to precise dominance. At my toes, crystalline shards of ice type round a pal salmon frozen into effective pebbles on a small, sinewy island in the course of the river. Over my shoulder, a gaggle of corvids – most definitely black-billed magpies – are combating over extra leftovers.
