Dead Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

David Harmes writes:

This Bald Eagle probably died elsewhere and washed in with the tide. I was worried it was one of the resident Bald Eagles that nest behind my house (there are 2 nests). But, I have seen my resident pair since. So, this one is from elsewhere. Still sad.

Steve Lewis, with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Raptor Management Office, writes:

I think it is not uncommon for eagles to die in the water. They spend so much time hunting there and despite being very good swimmers, I'm sure there are many circumstances where they can't get back out of the water and it is too far to swim to shore and drown. With freshly dead birds, we often try to send them to the National Eagle Repository (in Denver, CO) where they are given out to Native Americans for various religious and ceremonial purposes (via an application process). But this bird looks like it has been dead for quite a while now. So I would suggest letting it lay where they found it. Or pulling it up into the forest and letting nature take its course. I'm glad to hear the local pairs still seem to be there. That is another way that eagles die is through territorial disputes. We are coming into the time of year when birds are trying to force their way into the breeding population. With that comes conflict. However, the plumage on that bird (a little hard to tell due to it being in the water) looks like a juvenile bird. A juvenile wouldn't be trying to enter the breeding population yet. If David has a Global Positioning System (GPS) unit and would like to get a GPS point beneath his local eagle nests, notes about the nest (tree or ground, species of tree) and about the birds (if nest is occupied by eagles, or if nestlings are born), he can send that to me and I'll update our database of eagle nests.

David Harmes writes (on May 4, 2018):

The original nests and trees blew over, at least 10 years ago. I do not ever remember both nests being used in the same season. Last 2 or 3 years, they used the northern nest (57 32 41). It is the nest (directly over the house) you can see in the picture of the dead eagle. See photo IMG_3299d Pair of eagles Our Point, Amook Island, 30 April 2018. Is what I believe is our resident eagles. Most of the time 1 of them sits on the point to watch the ocean (just to the left of where they are in this picture, where the ground sloops down, the makes a shelf). IMG_3237 Eagle nests by our house Amook Island, 8 April 2018. Where they are sitting on the point is the left edge of this / the nest picture

I believe the dead eagle is an adult because it had a white tail and head feathers. I only took the one picture, for location. I did not know about LEO Network or have any intention of reporting this. It was just that I was in a meeting in Kodiak the following week, and LEO Network was mentioned. I hope this helps with the information you asked for.

Erica Mitchell writes:

This is the first observation of a dead bald eagle submitted to LEO this year.

Bald eagles were removed from the U.S. Endangered Species list in August 2007. Populations recovered in the U.S. following habitat protection efforts, and restrictions on the use of the pesticide DDT (dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane). To ensure that the bald eagle population remains healthy, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has established a Bald Eagle Post-Delisting Monitoring Plan to monitor any species fluctuation, and relist them if necessary.

In Alaska, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service maintains an online atlas of eagle nest locations to assist them in protection efforts. Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Midwest, Bald Eagle Species Profile

Resources:

For more information on Bald Eagle populations in Alaska, see the Alaska Department of Fish and Game Bald Eagle Species Profile.