Sgulak, bald eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus

October on the Nizina River brings the late run of silver salmon, and with it comes sgulak, the bald eagle. Most of the eagles we see here are young, and I wonder whether they are out exploring a less ideal habitat than the coast. This one is probably in its third year, since its head is pale with a dark line through the eye, its bill and eye are turning yellow, and its brown body is still mottled with white. Bald eagles do not reach full adult plumage until about age five. What I enjoyed most was watching how it handled the fish. It drove the talons of its left foot through the salmon’s head, which left the fish impaled and easy to carry off.