Sea Eagles

Flying low over the tree-tops, the eagle soared around the harbor, disappearing down Nordfjorden. All four of us were either watching, or anchoring. We did not notice the second and third until the first had disappeared and we looked around. During the next five minutes, I could see eight different birds. The massive eagles cruised around Sila. After about ten minutes, they landed in tree-tops or disappeared over the hills, cliffs, and waterfalls that made up our view of Nordfjorden.

Using Collins Bird Guide on the iPad, I discovered that they were White-tailed Eagles, locally known as Sea Eagles. They are one of the few raptors that spend time at sea, hence the name. Spending winter farther south, cruising the Southern Baltic for a few days at a time and resting in roosts, sea eagles come in pairs to Norway in the summer. They have a habit of spreading out, so it is rare to have two or three pairs in one harbor. Thus, sea eagles are an uncommon sight, as they breed scattered throughout remote places, or spend their time spread out at sea. This does not necessarily mean they are endangered, though there is some debate about that.

Later that evening, at a quarter to ten, we looked out the window and saw a party on the beach. Six huge birds were hanging out together. With their hooked beaks and massive size, they had to be the eagles from earlier. Slowly they took off, flapping over the mirror of calm water. Two twisted and turned around each other, before appearing to collide. They fell from the sky, swooping away just before they struck the tree tops, miraculously escaping. Every raptor I have ever seen, until then, has appeared to be in perfect control: never colliding, masters of the air, making no mistakes. Originally, my paragraph ended there, but when Mama edited this writing, she told me that it was not an accidental collision. Instead it had been a courting pair. Until then, I did not know that raptors mated in the air. It was certainly more interesting than a collision, even if I cannot tell the difference.

I had been hoping to see a Sea Eagle while in Norway, but knew it was unlikely. It was not as surprising as seeing four Andean Condors in Chile, but eight massive birds at once is just as incredible. Hopefully, this will not be an isolated eagle sighting! -Porter