Reader photo: Eagle leftovers

The bald eagles that flock to Coeur d’Alene Lake to feed on kokanee draw their fair share of praise and photos every year. But there is an equally important, if less majestic, player in the entire drama.

The kokanee themselves.

Photographer Joanie Christian captured that part of the life cycle on Jan. 5 when she visited Higgens Point to photograph the birds of prey and found dead kokanee strewn along the beach.

“Though I have often seen bald eagles in Stevens County scavenging dead fish along the shores, these fish remained untouched, save for the eyes,” Christian wrote in a Facebook post. “The eagles seemed focused on the live fish, so perhaps they feed along the beach when the fresh fish are all gone. Or perhaps these dead fish are eaten by other animals. It was quite a sight. Smelly though! All part of the life cycle.”

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