Food chains. Beginnings and endings. Energy flow throughecosystems. The connections here stretch over twenty-two miles fromthe twin glaciers at the end of Tracy Arm to this conference of baldeagles at William's Cove. The story began a month or so ago with thebirth of a harbor seal pup near one of the Sawyer Glaciers. The motherseal, one of perhaps a thousand gathered in refuge near the glacier'swatery terminus, nursed her pup with super-rich milk while floating onblocks of ice. A few days ago, following the order of things, sheabandoned her pup, now some sixty pounds heavier than when it was born.On its own now this pup ran into trouble. Exactly what we can't say.Perhaps it wandered this far and rested on the beach. Perhaps it let thetide recede too far and was surprised by a bear from the woods. Thiscould be for its skull appeared crushed by something more powerful thanan eagle. If so, where is the bear now? In its apparent absence eaglesgathered. At least twenty birds representing many different ages werethere. Some, already sated, perched in the trees and looked on whileothers squabbled over the bounty of blubber and muscle on the beach.Such a bonanza could last for days and attract even more eagles, temptedinto the foray by a schedule of eat, rest, excrete, repeat. Large whitesplashes dot the ground below the roosting eagles. Nutrients from thesea, returned to the trees, that harbor the streams, that produce thefish, that feed the seals.