Dutch Harbor on Amaknak Island in Unalaska, Alaska, has been rated as the top fishing port in the U.S. over 20 times.
That’s probably why the area is so populated with bald eagles.
They love eating all that delicious fish.
According to Culture Trip, eagles make up a decent part of the population in Unalaska.
It is estimated that there are about 5,000 people who live in Unalaska and about 600 bald eagles.
So, the pigeon is to New York City as bald eagles are to Unalaska.
There are about 70,000 bald eagles that live throughout Alaska.
They are a protected endangered species because they were close to extinction due to excessive hunting, habitat loss, and pesticide use.
They flock to the area of Dutch Harbor because it’s plentiful with food, including fish, waterfowl, and carrion.
“The birds are especially fond of Dutch Harbor, in which more fish are caught than in any other harbor in the country—787 pounds of pollack, cod, halibut, and crab in 2015, to be exact—which, of course, makes it a particularly appealing port of call for hungry birds.
But they are also opportunistic, which is why you’ll find them around humans, like fishermen who are willing to share or people who have food near them.
Bald eagles can be extremely aggressive with humans.
Their sharp beaks and talons can make this dangerous.
However, commercial fisherman Jessie Peak isn’t intimidated by them at all.
For him, it’s “just another day in Alaska” when hungry eagles surround him on his boat.
A video of him feeding his eagle friends was viewed more than 9.2 million times on YouTube.
The video shows Peck throwing chunks of fish out to about a dozen bald eagles as others on the ship look on.
These birds look like giant pigeons waiting to have food thrown at them.
Eagles keep swooping in to get a taste.
When no food was left, they just sat on the deck’s railing, all lined up.
Some hung around on the deck, just walking around and exploring.
The rest of the lot was perched up on the boat’s mast.
They were all up in that boat.
There were more eagles on that boat then than there were men.
The video was set to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird,” written by Allen Collins and Ronnie Van Zant and featured on the band’s 1973 debut album.
There were a lot of free birds on that boat.
“Amazing! What an awesome comeback these majestic birds have made in my lifetime. I remember when they were damn near endangered,” one person commented on youTube.
“Wow! I’ve Never seen soo many bald eagles in one spot! That’s a very lucky man!” said another.
“That would be such a majestic experience. Hundreds of nature’s most beautiful creatures just coming to chill with you on your boat…so cool,” said another.
Check out Peck and his eagles in the video below.
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