British Columbia is home to the largest bald eagle gathering on the globe. In November, thousands of eagles gather at places around metro Vancouver where the Fraser River and Harrison River meet. The majestic birds feast on spawning salmon and, at least in the eyes of one photographer, take time to socialize.
Wildlife photographer Christian Sasse has spent almost 20 years photographing eagles. During that time he’s captured many remarkable scenes of the raptors. However, this past November he “stumbled upon an incredibly rare sight.”
He posted footage of the rare convocation of eagles and wrote: “SUPER RARE Just outside Vancouver, I stumbled upon an incredibly rare sight—a large pond filled with eagles. They were bathing, socializing, and almost seemed to be ‘chatting’ with one another. It was truly the most amazing experience I’ve ever had.”
If you have trouble viewing the YouTube video above, scroll below.
Sasse’s years of experience filming the birds meant he could get up close without spooking them. Usually, eagles do not like people to be below the line of sight because they feel threatened, making filming them bathing difficult.
“Eagles always want to feel in charge and they want to be higher up. So once they are at a level that is below your eyesight they get really skittish,” Sasse told VancouverIsAwesome.
Sasse took his time hanging out where the eagles were for days so they would not be spooked by his presence. It takes a lot of patience and a very long camera lens to capture the footage he took.
Sasse loves watching the eagles socializing and notes that there is a social ranking among the group. Although the birds meet every year, scientists still know very little as to why they gather in such large groups. Regardless of the meaning, Sasse loves watching the birds. “They have feathers that look like thunder coming from the sky,” he described. “They have this majestic beauty and an incredibly sharp look like they are almost aware of everything around you. They’re just incredible.”
Bald eagles also migrate in large numbers in January and February throughout British Columbia, making it a destination for bird watchers. Here is more footage Sasse took of eagles a few years ago while taking a drive with eagle biologist David Hancock counting over 1,500 eagles.
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