And then there is this.....
"Alaska Fish and Game biologist Steve Arthur found that golden eagles are significant predators of Dall sheep lambs in the Central Alaska Range. The lambs are born in late May and they’re very vulnerable in their first few weeks."
Alaska Wildlife News is an online magazine published by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game
www.adfg.alaska.gov
"Predation was the most common cause of death of lambs (90% of deaths for 1999–2002 cohorts). Coyotes and golden eagles were the main predators (40 and 30% of all mortality, respectively). In addition, 20% of deaths were ascribed to unknown predators; many of these cases showed signs of use by coyotes and one or more other predators. Wolves, wolverines, and possibly grizzly bears accounted for small numbers of deaths. Other sources of mortality included drowning, falls, and starvation (probably due to abandonment)."
"Results from this study suggest that, during the peak of the snowshoe hare cycle, predation of lambs by coyotes and eagles was sufficiently high so as to cause the sheep population to decline. However, predation rates were greatly reduced after the hare population declined, and likely will remain low until hares have again increased. In northern areas where populations of snowshoe hares undergo dramatic cycles in abundance, predator-caused mortality of alternate prey, such as Dall sheep lambs, may periodically exceed sustainable levels. Therefore, long-term persistence of sheep in these areas may depend on the ability of the sheep population to grow sufficiently during low and intermediate phases of the hare population cycle so as to accommodate periodic declines when hares and their predators are abundant. Managers should be aware that lamb mortality rates may differ greatly among years, but some of these changes can be predicted based on changes in snowshoe hare populations, especially in areas where
coyotes and golden eagles are present. This knowledge should help managers interpret results of periodic sheep population surveys and identify potential causes of population trends."