| LOW
TIDE AT HORNBY
During nesting season, mostly when chicks are in the nest and being fed, you
will note that tide and time influence the daily routine of our eagles.
There is a maximum tidal range of sixteen feet. Every day sees two low and two high tides, with one often being much lower or
higher than the other. During the summer months the low tides occur during
daylight hours which is important because the eagles do a lot of foreshore
foraging for fish, especially during the very low tides.
Mom Hornby
flying over rocks and along the weedbeds at the water's edge
Our eagles primarily eat fish, and are often opportunistic hunters, sometimes
taking advantage of and stealing from the crows or seagulls on the beach, and
turning over rocks and weed to expose stranded fish waiting for the tide to
turn. From the nest, at low tide, we can hear some of these exploits, with
sounds of much commotion and shrieking and cawing coming from the beach.
Dad
Hornby at water’s edge with fish in beak.
A crow can also be seen searching for food.
Below see one of them flying low over the water
and then dropping down into the shallows
where they will sometimes grab a fish.
 ...
This pair
has delivered many fish species to the nest, including ratfish, dogfish, herring
and salmon, but one of their staples is a fish that surprised us all the first
time we heard it. Yes, the midshipman fish, found in
the weeds and beneath the rocks at low tide on Hornby, is able to vocalize. They
hum! http://www.news.cornell.edu/releases/June98/hummingfish.hrs.html
Sometimes this can be heard when one is delivered to the nest. Mom is seen in
the picture below with a Midshipman in her beak en route to the nest.
The eagles also appear to prefer times for foraging on the beaches when less
human activity takes place, so on busy summer weekends you might notice less
instances of prey being brought to the nest.
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