Kuril Lake. Wintering eagles.

The unprecedented heat in the Bryansk woods, where I live now until the next departure to Kamchatka ... It's time to at least virtually transported into the icy winter and talk about another phenomenon of the Kurile Lake - wintering eagles. In winter, the lake shores are going to eight species of red-white-tailed eagles and Steller's sea eagles and, who also feed on spawning fish.
Photo © Igor Shpilenok 15 photos

02.
I flew over the lake, a few days was calm and frosty lake in front of our eyes covered with clear ice. Only the mouth of the rivers flowing into the lake remained ice-free. Just a place at the mouth of the river Etamynk we built a snow-skradok needle. Eagle before freezing lake scattered all along the coast, were forced to gather at open water. Some of them used as a perch snow hut. We spent close to dozens of eagles some wonderful days of shooting, and then Sergey was forced to leave for civilization, and I stayed in one skradke.
Like crednerusskoy village morning starts with a rooster crows and goose cry, so on Kuril Lake early morning twilight begins with guttural cackle and scream eagles heard in calm weather for kilometers. At that time I usually go on the ice from the warm cabin on a promontory in the grassy your daytime snow den. The snow igloo is much warmer than outside. In addition, outside of the south of Kamchatka is almost always blowing in the wind, and inside, behind the thick snow walls - complete rest. Asylum is not devoid of comfort - on the tourist gas stove is a pot of tea, things are laid out on niches carved into the walls of snow. By the wall leaning against a gun with rubber bullets - in spite of the end of January and spawning grounds wandering bear, not a thin rod, and the normally-fed male - just in the rivers and streams full of fish, and the snow this year is not as deep as usual, so he not in a hurry in the den. Eagles and golden eagles sat on the coastal stunted alder, on snowy snags sticking out of the water in the ice-covered rocks, sometimes just on the ice. Predators gaze into shallow clear water, where hundreds nerok in red and green swirl in breeding plumage dying love ecstasy, laying eggs in pebble nests. Some fishes have already spawned and die. They are chaotic, sometimes have belly up, swimming in shallow water. Frayed spots spawning covered rigor and simply decompose alive. This is the easy prey of eagles. Birds grab them with one paw and dragged on the bloody snow. Sometimes the weight of male sockeye salmon up to 4 kilograms, that is half the weight of an eagle. Besides big fish resisting, sometimes it pulls the bird in the water. But with the help of huge wings eagle drags fish on the snow. A huge yellow beak and powerful claws yellow eagles "designed" for the cutting of large salmon. This powerful tool is able to cope with the skin of young seals, foxes, hares, which are also sometimes diversify mainly fish menu of these birds. The thinnest skin in salmon is near the pectoral fin, hence the eagle starts to rip up the fish. If caught gravid female is eating begins with caviar. But the birds rarely eat whole sockeye, especially larger fish. Immediately the magpie and crow flies begin their dance around feasting eagles snatching pieces of fish flesh and blood-stained snow. Fellow eagles could be coming closer and closer, but not directly, but in circles, as if his business. The owner of the fish covers its prey wings, tail, but at some point, just two or three Kindred bystanders rush to the remains of fish and take away it. Serious fights between Steller's sea eagles do not happen. Salmon - very large prey, as a rule, larger than needed to saturate a bird, so the eagles, salmon predators developed a specialized behavioral mechanism of "concessions" surplus food brethren. A much fiercer battle for interspecies fish between, say, Steller's sea eagles and golden eagles. Berkut considerably smaller than eagles, but his fighting spirit is higher, so he did not hesitate to attack eagles and often comes out the winner in the brawl. Be a winner in the scuffle does not necessarily become the owner of the fish, because while some birds fighting, others without any problems seize the fish, the soldiers left without supervision. On windy days, and such a rule on the lake, not the exception, catching a fish is redistributed among the eagles without any scandal. Gusts of wind such that the bird blows from the prey, which immediately catches the other eagle, who managed to first deal with the wind, and the legal earner easily resigns himself to his fate.
Contrasting feathers - white shoulders and white "pants" and white tail on a dark brown-gray background of the body do away birds prominent. White spots in the plumage seems to perform the role of a flag in the breeding period to allow kin is easy to see that the socket is busy. The older bird - the more white in its plumage. The global population of eagles is 7, 5 thousand individuals, of which more than half of Kamchatka nest. Eagles begin to breed at the age of 6-7 years. 4-5 years young eagles are a youth, brown plumage on which is very easy to distinguish them from the adult birds. Eagle's nest along the coast, near the spawning rivers and lakes. Kuril Lake regularly nesting pair of eagles on the island Samang, but only in the South-Kamchatsky reserve at least 10 nests. On older trees, sometimes on the rocks, sea eagles are building huge nests, which are updated annually and being finished. The Kronotsky was found a nest with a diameter of 3 meters and a height of 2 meters! If nothing prevents the successful nesting eagles can occupy their buildings for many years. Often one pair is building on the site of 2-3 nests and can take their turns. Birds lay 1 - 3 eggs, often 2. Efficiency of breeding eagles have very low. The reasons for this are many. Masonry and little chicks die from hypothermia in the places where eagles are often concerned and forced the bird to leave the nest. Neglected eggs and chicks are often killed by predators. The chicks are dying from diseases and parasites, fall out of the nest by accident or during storms. There are many cases, the nest fall during storms, rain or heavy snowfall. In adult eagles have no natural enemies, but their life is also full of dangers. Hunters do not like eagles and shoot them because they spoil the pelts of animals caught in traps. In addition, eagles discharged installed on animal bait traps, and do come across them. Eagles killed by lead poisoning by swallowing roll with meat podranennyh hunters of animals and birds. Lead poisoning is especially true for the part of the population of eagles wintering in Japan. Unrestrained fishing of salmon in many rivers of Kamchatka destroys food base eagles. Yet the state of the population of sea eagles on the Kamchatka Peninsula more or less stable, and the evidence of that - they mnogosotennye congestion winter Kuril Lake.