Fall is spawning season for the salmon.  After a life at sea surviving fishermen and a varety of marine predators, mature salmon return to their natal streams with the mission to lay and fertilize eggs to provide for the next generation. The first to arrive in August are the pinks, followed by sockeye, coho, springs, and chum into late November. However, accessing their spawning streams is never a cake walk. A number of predators including humans have their calendars marked for the return of the salmon and hang around the esturaries and adjacent waters waiting for the event. The most potent predators are the gangs of sea lions and seals that lurk in estuaries ready to ambush the returning salmon. Black bears line the shallow streams ready to pounce and scoop the unwary prey with their razor sharp claws while fisherment hope to tease the hungry salmon with their flashy flies. Meanwhile, birds like the Bald eagle, crows, gulls, ducks, American Dippers, and shorebirds must wait for the aftermath of the spawn to harvest spawned out carcasses and unsecured eggs.

Depite the hazards. the salmon cannot deny the irresistable urge to reproduce. Many will be lost to the predators, and it is survival by abundance. Many will make it to the spawning grounds and eggs will be laid and fertilized. There are many factors that affect the quality of the salmon spawn season. Drought conditions and low stream levels can delay the spawning runs and even stymie them altogether. In the opposite scenario atmospheric rivers can scour the streambeds washing away the salmon eggs and carcasses leaving nothing for the eagles and other birds. Meanwhile, streams are still being destroyed by human activity. Land clearing and soil erosion can saturate and destroy viable gravel beds, and toxic seepage from mines and industrial pollution can simply just kill salmon larvae and any other life in the streams.
 

Seals bob around the estuaries like harmless pups, but when a possible meal is in their sights they suddenly become potent heat-seeking missles. With no other weapons except their jaws, the seals can crush and devour smaller fish easily, but bigger fish are another problem. I'm not sure exactly what happens, but the seals seem to hang on to larger fish until the fish is exhausted or drowned and unable to swim. Once that happens the seal can then let go and start tearing off parts of the fish.

Sea lions are also adept at catching fish. Despite being awkward and clumsy on land, they become sleek and powerful machines in the water. However, why waste energy when there are easier ways to acquire prey? Like schoolyard bullies, the sea lions love intimidating the smaller seals and relieving them of any prey they happen to have in their jaws. Even from fairly long distances, the sea lion's sensitive whiskers can detect the vibrations of a fish struggling in the seal's grasp. In a flash, like a jet-propelled torpedo the powerful pinniped can overwhelm and relieve the hapless seal of its catch. (above photo - sea lion steals chum salmon from seal). 

Like the seal. the sea lion can simply devour smaller prey, bur larger prey are another matter. Unlike the seal. the sea lion has a flexible neck that allows the sea lion to whip its head from side to side. With a fish firmly in its jaws, a quick whip of the head easily tears chunks of meat off the fish while the rest of the fish flies through the air. As soon as the chunk is devoured the sea lion grabs the rest of the fish and repeats the process. 
 

While the sea lion is tearing off large chunks of meat, smaller chunks go flying much to the delight of the ever-opportunistic gulls and ducks.
 

Once the last chunk is small enough the seal lion will swallow it and start looking for another snack

Many birds like the harlequin and other ducks birds also join in the salmon spawn party. They feed on drifting salmon eggs and small scraps of fish caused by degradation of fish carcasses and the debris left by sea lions thrashing salmon. Other ducks involved include Common and Red-breasted Mergansers, Mallards, Buffleheads, and Common Goldeneyes. 

Shorebirds like Dunlin, Black-bellied Plovers, and Black Turnstones enjoy foraging for salmon eggs and fish scraps. American Dippers and gulls also have a fondness for salmon eggs. 

The salmon spawn is a special time for Bald Eagles. It is their opportunity to bulk up their fat reserves in preparation for what could be a cold and bleak winter. Unlike the sea lions and seals, the eagles usually don't have access to live spawning salmon in deeper waters and rely more on carcasses of spawned out salmon. The eagles watch for carcasses that are washed ahore or in the shallow shoreline waters then it's first come first serve, but beware of pirates. More aggressive eagles show no hesitation to snatching the prey from unwary or less aggressive eagles while crows and gulls stand by for any scraps that might be available.

Every salmon stream on Vancouver Island hosts its share of eagles, but the best place in BC to witness the eagles feasting on salmon carcasses is at the flats of the Harrison River. Thousands of eagles congregate in the region to take advantage of salmon smorgasbord. On a one day count over 7,000 eagles were tallied and many more weren't visible for counting. While distant views are available from shore, closer views are only possible from a boat. Fortunately, boat tours are available from Harrison Hot Springs for anyone with a spare $150 in their pocket.
 

Dinner time - An immature eagle was enjoying a coho dinner much to the envy of a gull and crow. The red colour of the carcass indicates its identity as a coho. Unfortunately, the dinner was rudely interrupted by an aggressive adult eagle.

Adult eagles have no hesitation in intimadating immature eagles or even other adult eagles. This adult scooped the body of the salmon leaving the head section for the immature eagle, but that didn't last too long as the adult returned shortly after and took the head as well.
 

No scrap is too small for a hungry eagle.

The Great Blue Heron is adept at spearing or catching smaller fish, but it is not equipped to deal with large live fish. However, a well aged salmon carcass just falls apart and like wine or cheese it tastes better with age (maybe?). 

Anything is fair game during salmon spawning time. Gulls don't miss any opportunity to grab a snack. They are fearless and don't mind playing tug-of-war with a sea lion. In this case the sea lion won, but the gull managed a few scraps to make it all worthwhile. 

 

Black bears also depend on the salmon spawn to build up fat reserves for the winter hibernation. They often line the banks of shallow streams to hook any nearby salmon with their razor sharp claws or they can just jump in and grab a fish with their powerful jaws. 

A male Bufflehead drops in to join the salmon party hoping for a stray salmon egg or scraps from salmon carcasses.

Huge flocks of Bonaparte's and other gulls gather around the estuaries to take advantage of the food from the salmon spawn.

Unfortunately, the supply of carcasses doesn't last forever. Any carcasses that haven't been accessed will continue to decay until there is nothing left except maybe some skin and bone. Sea Lions generally prefer fresh fish, but when none is available they can't be choosey. Even a rotten carcass still has some nutrition.

With nothing edible left from the salmon spawn, the chaos of mammals and birds around the estuaries is suddenly reduced to a few ducks and gulls. The large flocks of Bonaparte's and Short-billed gulls can be seen in the distance out in the Salish Sea while only the occasional eagle graces the shoreline treetops.

There was a time when the sea would provide a continous supply of fish, but years of over-fishing a the destruction of many salmon spawning streams has taken its toll on many salmon populations. It is now scavenging time for the eagles.

Winter can be a cold and bleak time, and it is survival of the fittest. Food is scarce for eagles and carcasses from road and boat kills are welcome treats. Landfills used to be a popular venue, but more and more governments are using mitigation strategies to deter wildlife from accessing their sites. 

For the eagles there will still be food from the sea, but it won't necessarily be fish. Any carcasses of mammals like sea lions and seals are a welcome and substantial treat. 

Yes, it does snow occasionally in paradise, and that makes life for the eagles more difficult. Road kill is a bonus, but roadside dining comes with the hazard of oncoming vehicles. Areas with landfills and composting facilities often attract eagles, ravens, crows, and gulls, but many authorities are using mitigation strategies like noise-making canons or trained hawks to deter predators.

There are always those that look for the easy meal, and if they are lucky there might be a food kitchen (landfill or composting plant)  in their area. The breakfast crowd at the DBL composting facility awaits anxiously for the next delivery to arrive. Most of the crowd tends to be the younger, immature birds that aren't as proficient or inclined at predation or working for their next meal.
 

Regardless of whether there is any food available, the DBL composting piles make excellent warming stations for the eagles, gulls, and ravens.
 

Fish abundance used to be the main food source for the eagles, but now it's bonus if they can find a fish.  

 
Sometimes the sea offers up a surprise. Calamari is a rare treat for anyone, and this eagle wasn't about to pass up an unexpected entree at Buccaneer Beach. 

 
Bald Eagles aren't the only birds that have to cope with the west coast winter. There are close 150 species from raptors and owls to ducks and passerines that call Vancouver Island home for the winter. Fortunately, most winters are fairly mild and live prey like invasive eastern cottontails and grey squirrels are available for many of the predators in addition to the regular supply of smaller rodents. 

The local Great Horned Owls are noctutrnal hunters. Patches of fur or feathers in your yard in the morning are probably signs of the owls' predation. Winter nourishment has extra meaning for the Great Horneds because it is also their mating time, and healthy birds have a better chance for successful reproduction.

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The eastern cottontail is native to eastern and central North America. It was introduced to BC in the 60's in the Victoria region. Many thought the rabbit would not be able expand pass the Cowichan River, but by the mid 70's the rabbits had learned to use bridges and gardeners in Duncan were forced to erect wire fences to keep the rabbits from devastating their gardens The Chemainus and Nanaimo rivers also proved to be ineffective at containing the brown bunnies, and they are now commonplace on the mid-island. They are an invasive species and a threat to many sensitive plants like the Garry oak. However, there is an upside as they are excellent source of protein for large predators like eagles, hawks, and owls. 

Vancouver Island has an ample supply of fruit bearing trees like arbutus and Pacific crabapple. Before I proceed I should clarify some terminology. According to the scientists, all berries are fruit, but not all fruit are berries. It's all very confusing like the babana is actually a berry and a strawberry is not a berry. So I'm just going to refer to everything as fruit. Okay? It is a grand sight and sound every fall to see swarms of migrating robins descent on the giant arbutus trees and strip the thousands of fruit in just a few hours. Don't be surprised if you see a few Varied Thrush, Cedar Waxwings, and other fruit lovers in the mix. Besides the nnative trees there are many domestic offerings like mountain ash, pink pagoda, hawthorne, pyracantha, and holly. Hawthorne is especially abundant in the Nanaino region thanks in part to birds dropping seeds around the region for over the past 100 years 

The most abundant fruit eaters are the robins and Varied Thrushes. The Bohemian Waxwing (above) is very scarce except in the occasional irruptive years. The last irruptive year I know of in the mid-island region was 2017 when a flock of about 200 birds made quick work of Nanaimo's hawthorne crop. The Bohemians are more common in the Okanagan and northern regions around the world. Like other irruptive species large flocks tend to follow the  most abundant food surces.

The Townsend's Solitaire  is more of a loner or small group bird. It is also a fruit lover and the one above is enjoying a pink pagoda dinner near the Fairwinds Golf Course.

Pacific crabapple trees are another abundant food source for fruit loving birds like the Purple Finch. It is the only native apple on the west coast and is usually found near moist lands adjacent to streams and waterways from Alaska to California.

Vancouver Island is well-endowed with coniferous trees that supply large amounts of seeds for birds like the White-winged Crossbill. Red Crossbills are more common wheras the White-wingeds are irruptive and only  show up occasuonally in large numbers. 

Many ducks winter on Vancouver Island and many frequent the shallow waters close to shore for their sustenance. It is surprising that many ducks like the Red-breasted Merganser (above) are still able to find prey in the polluted waters inside French Creek marina. Gunnel fish are a fairly abundant food source in local waters. Sculpins and flounders have also been successfully predated in the marina.

One of the most dynamic and fascinating birds seen around streams and the waterways is the Belted Kingfisher. It is usally a solitary and territorial bird except when it comes to mating and family time. It's stacatto chatter usally betrays its presence before it is seen perched on a streamside branch, rock, or any vantage point. It secures its prey by diving beak first into the shallow waters to grasp the prey in its bill. Gunnel fish (above), sculpins, fry, minnows, and crayfish are regular items on its menu.
 

The sandy beaches of Vancouver Island provide another menu of sustenance for wintering ducks. The sandy beaches are hosts to a variety of shellfish and ducks with shovel-like bills are proficient at excavating the sand to reap the harvest. Black, Surf, and White-winged scoters can be seen regularly diving in shallow waters for clams. At high tide they can access the invasive varnish clams that were imported to the west coast about 50 years ago in the bilge waters of freighters coming from Asia. The varnish clam has populated the highest substrate of beaches providing a bonus for photographers and nature lovers as the ducks must come close to shore to harvest the clam. Common and Barrow's Goldeneyes also have a preference for the clams. 

Crabs and a variety of marine invertebrates are on the menu of most shorebirds like the over-wintering Whimbrel above. Other winter shorebirds include the Dunlin, Black Turnstones, Black-bellied Plover, and Killdeer.

The Black Oystercatcher is a common species on Vancouver Island. Its unmistakable orange bill is specially designed to slide into the shells of clams and oyster to sever the abductor muscle that hold the shells together. Once the muscle is cut, the oystercatcher has easy access to contents of the shell. 

The patient Common Loon cruises on shallow waters looking for a potential dinner. Fish and crustaceans are the main entrees on the menu.