Mile 202 Report
North Spit Alsea River
May 1, 2022
As I entered the beach at access 67D with my fellow CoastWatcher Nancy Thomas, we saw a Bald Eagle sitting on a carcass.
Report Details
As I entered the beach at access 67D with my fellow CoastWatcher Nancy Thomas, we saw a Bald Eagle sitting on a carcass. We approached the carcass, about 8' long, a marine mammal which we later identified as a female Steller Sea Lion. We didn't see any signs of injury, and scavengers hadn't yet been able to penetrate the carcass except for the eyes and anus. Nancy took photos and submitted them to OSU's Marine Mammal Stranding Network along with coordinates. The carcass had drawn a crowd of scavengers. We saw at least a half dozen Bald Eagles, both adult and immature, and even more Turkey Vultures and Corvids. Death for some means life for others, and there should be plenty of full stomachs in the days ahead.
Conditions
Temperature: 58 F. Cloud Cover: Partly Cloudy. Tide Level: 1.0 feet.
Bald Eagle and Raven at carcass
Female Steller Sea Lion carcass
Closeup, note the long whiskers
Raven beginning to scavange carcass
Turkey Vultures waiting patiently
Immature Bald Eagle and Raven
Immature Bald Eagle
Report Images
Jon French
CoastWatcher
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