-+Birds+of+Prey

Birds in our ecosystem today eat mostly fish, crabs, starfish, worms, weak birds, bait balls, and anything else they get a hold of. The most common bird seen around the Puget Sound are Seagulls, but you might also see Bald Eagles, Peregrine Falcon, Skua, Pelicans, Herons, and more. Typically, all birds are territorial over their food unless confronted by a bigger bird who could eat the smaller bird and their prey. Bigger animals, humans, and bad weather are the biggest cause of death when it comes to birds. Any animal bigger than a bird sees it as an easy target and a quick meal, even though birds usually put up a good fight; whales, seals, and sharks generally put up a better fight. Birds can live all over the world but the birds I'm most interested in are the one's that live by the ocean. All birds by the sea nest differently. Some form their home's on hill sides, some make a nest in the tree branches, and others prefer the cool cave's to keep their young protected from the strong rays of the sun. These birds generally share their habitat with other animals depending on where they choose to live. If they make their nest on the hillside by the ocean, they are usually neighbors with small crabs, deer, and other species of birds. If they share their habitat in tree branches they'll be neighboring with tree bugs, and other species of birds. If they make their nest's in cave's they have to fight with other birds to find the best spot for their young. Birds are important because they can help humans to spot whales by swarming around the bait balls pushed up by whales. They also feed on our everyday pest's which helps to keep the bug population down in our enviornment. Without them, the crabs would be all over the beaches (not that they aren't already), smaller fish would dominate the ocean, worms would become over populated, and star fish would sprinkle the beaches making it difficult for anyone to walk around without stepping on one. Birds are very interesting animals and very helpful even if we dont always think so.

Written by: Aundrea