young eagle massacre.  this is still a mystery.  natural selection has obviously taken place on rabbit island.  it happened sometime while we were there though we did not witness the event.  a few days before we found this adolescent eagle carcass, hung up on a small branch at about chest level, andrew had seen a young eagle (similar to this one… perhaps this one.) chasing a mature eagle a few hundred yards above the eastern shoreline.  the two seemed to be fighting, flying back and forth, diving and bobbing.  we wonder if the young eagle had outgrown its welcome within the pecking order of the hunting grounds or if there was an altercation involving a fish, rabbit or other food-staple.  we will likely never know what happened.  a few days earlier andrew had been in the same spot in the woods and this wasn’t there (late august).  if anyone knows somebody with expertise in eagle behavior and life cycle we would like to forward this image and narrative to find out whether this fits a known pattern of behavior or if this sort of thing has been documented well before.  please contact us.   robgorski@gmail.com    

September 2, 2011