There's a nesting pair near my house these days. Majestic looking birds, and they sound like seagulls with brain damage :)
Absolute lies, they sound exactly like a red-tailed hawk.
America’s bald eagle population continues to soar
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Re: America’s bald eagle population continues to soar
#32Earlier quoted context omitted.
I get fly-bys from bald eagles in the traffic pattern at an airport I frequent. Even from the cockpit they look enormous. Definitely don’t want one of those monsters to wind up on a leading edge. Incidentally it’s interesting how many raptors seem to like hanging around in airport traffic patterns. I realize there’s a bit of a selection bias here, but I do work at similar altitudes away from airports and sightings ar…
I used to have an office that overlooked an airport (in the UK), and I used to watch the birds of prey taking rabbits off the grass surrounding the runways. Seemed to be a lot of them on there, I guess since its a fairly big area where they don't get disturbed.
I've wondered if it's something like that—a wide open space where the prey is easier to see.
Re: America’s bald eagle population continues to soar
#33Bald Eagles are HUGE. You don't realize it until one drops out of a tree near you and flies off. Either that or you see them feeding on road kill deer.
I didn't realize how large they were.
But I saw one at the top of an electrical tower and from the ground it was large but not gigantic. Much later on they took the nest down and it was the size of a Mini! Yes, the British car.
Re: America’s bald eagle population continues to soar
#34Saw one flying over an intersection in suburban Colorado just last weekend. I had seen them "in the wild" before (e.g. while river rafting in PA) but it was interesting to see one while I was just out running errands.
There’s a nest and nesting pair you can see really clearly from the wildlife viewing area at Barr Lake State Park, about a mile and a half from the parking lot. Helps to have a telephoto lens or decent pair of binoculars, although when I was there a few weeks ago there were several just hanging out in trees right next to trails.
Re: America’s bald eagle population continues to soar
#35Bald Eagles are HUGE. You don't realize it until one drops out of a tree near you and flies off. Either that or you see them feeding on road kill deer.
Wait til you see Golden Eagles :) We have a mating pair of Balds and it is fun to watch their young get bigger and then take off. Every year around the same time, we have a giant Golden that cruises around the lake and forest. The first time I saw it, I couldn't believe how big it was. Like, over a 7ft wingspan. I realize Balds are close, but this Golden one is a monster.
Came to say the same thing: Bald Eagles are I think regular sized. Golden Eagles are like "whoa, someone zoomed that eagle to 3X".
Re: America’s bald eagle population continues to soar
#36Happy to finally see them soaring here in California. Around this time last year I finally spotted one in the wild flying above my yard, it was tagged and everything. Gorgeous site to see.
Re: America’s bald eagle population continues to soar
#37I find it amusing the article had to clarify the lower 48 states. In the majority of the United States bald eagles are a rare and majestic sight. In Alaska they are on par with seagulls.
"According to scientists from the Service’s Migratory Bird Program, the bald eagle population climbed to an estimated 316,700 individual bald eagles in the lower 48 states." Alaska Department of Fish and Game[1]: "Found only in North America, bald eagles are more abundant in Alaska than anywhere else in the United States. The Alaska population is estimated at 30,000 birds." So you think they bent over backwards, and…
“Amusing”
“on par with seagulls” meaning seeing 100 in one single area
Re: America’s bald eagle population continues to soar
#38Raptors are always amazing to watch. In flight, at rest, nesting, feeding/hunting. So cool.
My house backs a golf course and we currently have a nesting pair of red-tail hawks about 200 yards away. Every once in a while, one soars by with a snake in beak. They also tussle with the local crows (who I assume are tying to snatch eggs).
Re: America’s bald eagle population continues to soar
#39This is great news. It is really about the pesticides more than anything else. In my area, hawks are EVERYWHERE . I see at least 1 every 5 miles along the highway (farmland) watching for food. This was not true 20 years ago.
You still see a lot of them being brought into wildlife rescue hospitals for lead poisoning from having eaten birdshot or in some other way ingesting fired ammunition. Seems to be the biggest issue in the Midwest for them, anyway.
Either way, as a kid I remember being told to assume you'd never see one and they'd probably be extinct in my lifetime. Now I couldn't even tell you how many I've seen, from as far east as PA and north to AK.
Re: America’s bald eagle population continues to soar
#40There's a nesting pair near my house these days. Majestic looking birds, and they sound like seagulls with brain damage :)
Absolute lies, they sound exactly like a red-tailed hawk.
You've been watching too many movies then! https://youtu.be/PQ2uMauyBow?t=35
I was doing some trail building this last fall and there was a red tailed hawk nest across the valley. It was pretty amazing to hear that classic "eagle" call every now and again while working.