The eagle has landed

[Winger Ed.]

Before we moved out here, the only times I've ever seen a bald eagle was on TV or in a picture.
There's a retired wildlife photographer that has photographed a few in a swampy/marsh sort of area
about 20 miles from here. He uses a camera with a lens on it about the size of your leg.
But I've not seen one in person though.

We have a big dead branch at the top of a tree in the back yard that often has red tail hawks
or cooper's hawks perched in it while they are looking for dinner.
(I like to think they are helping me repel the great squirrel invasion)

The picture doesn't do it justice, but this morning I was watching a big bird of prey in the tree,
but it didn't really look like one of the normal hawks.

Upon closer examination--- its an immature bald eagle!!
Its head hasn't turned solid white yet, it's sort of a gray, I think its about 3-4 years old.

I thought that was pretty cool, and I'll be on the lookout for its mama and papa.

[TimD]

I had my first eagle sighting in a dead cherry along my fence line a few years ago. They are an amazing sight. It was fully mature and the largest bird I have ever seen. They are slowly becoming more common in our area and are always exciting to see!

[Thundarstick]

Looks more like an osprey to me. Even the way is perched on the branch says osprey. Immature bald eagles are chestnut brown with a rough mottled appearance.
Bald eagles are regular local birds for us, nest in the vicinity, and are quite common around home.

[Electrod47]

Its funny this topic just came up for me also, just yesterday. Down on my pistol range visible from the kitchen window came a 4-5ft wingspan Bald Eagle landing on a 5ft telephone pole I use for shooting "over the hill melons". Grabbed my binoc's and me and the wife watched him for a few minutes til the dog noticed him also and started a rucus outside. First time here near Pachuta Mississippi in at least 15 years.

[Three44s]

Eagles are known to take out other birds of prey like your hawks. It might be waiting for a hawk sandwich.

Three44s

[pworley1]

We have 4 or 5 pairs within a 30 mile radius of our house and they will stop by our lake from time time for a fish dinner as they pass by. They are always an amazing sight.

[MUSTANG]

Kalispell house has numerous Bald Eagles in the neighborhood. (They swooped down and ate some of my juvenile chickens last year). We also have Golden Eagles and a variety of Hawks.

Moapa house has some hawks; but the Owls are the most present predators - lost several cats to them.

[tja6435]

We have tons of Golden Eagles around these parts, but I also see Bald Eagles pretty often. The Golden eagles are chicken snipers.

[Winger Ed.]

Looks more like an osprey to me.

Interesting.
Farther down near the swampy end of the lake, people talk all the time about the few eagles.

The 'bird map' shows osprey winter here, but nobody has ever mentioned seeing them.
It did have a view of the lake from our tree, but there are way more places
that are much better for a fish eating bird than right here.

[beemer]

There aren't any Bald Eagles around here, biggest thing we have is the Redtail. Twenty or so years ago we would ride to Boxerworks in Watkinsville,Ga for a BMW bike rally. There were Bald Eagles in that area. Always looked for them, impressive sight.

[CastingFool]

I've been fortunate to see bald eagles about a mile or two of my house. Once, coming home, spotted a big bird flying along the road, then make a wide sweeping turn and landing on an open field. The next time, it was in the same area, but it was on the very top of a very tall tree. The eagle was very easy to see as it was in the fall, and the leaves had already dropped. This was about 2 miles from my house, in the very southern lower peninsula

[Vopie]

Called White Headed Buzzards around here!

[Minerat]

Had a place to shoot ground rats out north of Platteville one year. Had been shooting a while when I noticed a whitehead dining on a dead one on the far west side of the PD town. Had to move to another area. This lasted for about 10 shots when another showed up for a free dinner. By the time I was ready to leave I had 3 adults and 4 juveniles following me around the property for the free meals. This started a trend where if they were in the area they would show up the minute anyone started shooting. F&WS said we would scare them off by shooting in the area. They were like buzzards in a gut pile, you could get with 10 feet of them before they would fly then only till you left the area. Neat birds but not as fragile as the feds would have you believe.

[MostlyLeverGuns]

We get the occasional visit from a bald eagle, have an irrigation reservoir nearby, they do look fancy sitting in the sun. Neighbor's boy lost a goat kid to a golden eagle a few years ago. Have had resident pair of horned owls since we moved here. Had nesting redtail hawks for a few years, the redtail hawks were good rattler killers, saw them a few times with sizable rattlers, a couple Cooper's are around a lot, plus a few others. Had a snowy owl pass-thru one year, really spectacular, makes up for the long drive for groceries.

[Good Cheer]

Many years ago seeing the bald eagles return to Liberty County, Texas was an almost spiritual experience.
Like OMG is that... yeah, those big boogers are back.

[Hogtamer]

Have seen one twice flying over my place near the big lake. Both times being chased by crows!

[Texas by God]

I have seen exactly ONE on our farm in 64 years. And exactly ONE mountain lion!
Mexican Eagles show up occasionally down here.
Out in the High Plains, at Coyote Lake(near Needmore)- we’ve seen lots of Golden and Bald eagles there- and hundreds of other species.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[MrWolf]

Back in South Jersey I have video somewhere of a bald eagle trying to get a duck when they lowered our lake and only s decent sized stream was running through it. That eagle tried like 20 minutes to get the duck who would duck under water each time the eagle dove for it. Was pretty cool.

[BLAHUT]

Before we moved out here, the only times I've ever seen a bald eagle was on TV or in a picture.
There's a retired wildlife photographer that has photographed a few in a swampy/marsh sort of area
about 20 miles from here. He uses a camera with a lens on it about the size of your leg.
But I've not seen one in person though.

We have a big dead branch at the top of a tree in the back yard that often has red tail hawks
or cooper's hawks perched in it while they are looking for dinner.
(I like to think they are helping me repel the great squirrel invasion)

The picture doesn't do it justice, but this morning I was watching a big bird of prey in the tree,
but it didn't really look like one of the normal hawks.

Upon closer examination--- its an immature bald eagle!!
Its head hasn't turned solid white yet, it's sort of a gray, I think its about 3-4 years old.

I thought that was pretty cool, and I'll be on the lookout for its mama and papa.

I have bald eagles here in my back yard, had them nesting on my place up north. If anyone is interested ? PM me your e-mail address and I will forward a picture. I cannot get it to load on here ?? I have a picture of a mature bald eagle sitting on a grave head stone here at the Minneapolis national cemetery.

[BLAHUT]

Interesting.
Farther down near the swampy end of the lake, people talk all the time about the few eagles.

The 'bird map' shows osprey winter here, but nobody has ever mentioned seeing them.
It did have a view of the lake from our tree, but there are way more places
that are much better for a fish eating bird than right here.

I have ospreys nesting in my back yard here.
Bald eagles visit the back yard.
Have had timber wolves in the yard.
Have had mountain lions here in the yard.
Not to mention all flavor's of hawks and owls.