Aleutian Islands: Unalaska – Bald Eagles
Unalaska has one of the highest (if not the highest) concentration of bald eagles in North America. The national bird and animal of the USA is everywhere – soaring above hills and mountains, sitting on lamp posts, fishing on salmon in the open sea, walking along the beach and waiting to steal from fishermen, congregating near food dumps, and resting on top of church crucifixes. It’s totally surreal how many bald eagles are here, and nearly half of them are juveniles – their heads are not white yet. Bald eagles are not actually bald at all but rather have a white head, unmistakable from afar. They are massive birds and their nests are supposedly the largest of any bird in the world. They are mostly seabirds, catching thermals and then diving and grabbing massive salmon (almost bigger then they are themselves) with their strong talons and carrying them to shore and devouring it. For some reason, the American anthem kept rolling in my head at the sight of every bird.
