Notice here that the trailing edge of the wings is fairly uniform, unlike the previous photo. I am guessing this is probably a 2- or 3-year old eagle since it is has some yellow on the beak and some white patches on the underside. However, the little lighter coloration on top of its head shows how variable these plumage patterns can be at this age. I think this might be a 2-year old bird – a lot of white on its belly, very splotchy underside of wings, and some feathers sticking out of line in the trailing edge of its wings resulting from a combination of older feathers and new shorter wing feathers. Two- and three-old eagles are a little tougher to distinguish and can overlap in their plumage patterns. A one-year old eagle has a dark head and beak. Adult plumage (white head and tail) usually occurs by year 5 of a Bald Eagle’s life. Juvenile Bald Eagle showing its darkish head and splotchy underside. There was a mix of juvenile and adult eagles, along with lots of flying Turkey and Black Vultures, the latter species sometimes making you look twice at it to make sure it wasn’t an eagle (similar flat-wing profile at a distance). The intensity in an eagle’s eye says it all It wasn’t long before eagles starting flying up and down the tailrace, and the morning light was spectacular. I have never heard so many eagles calling in one place (please note this is not the eagle call which you often hear on TV commercials showing a flying eagle – that screech call is actually that of a Red-tailed Hawk – maybe a marketer thought it was a more fearsome call and figured no one would notice – WRONG!) One of the best things about that day were the sounds. What really thrilled me were the sounds – so many eagles calling! Here is a short clip of a pair with others calling nearby (turn volume up). Several trees downstream had multiple eagles perched in them I counted over 40, many more than were there last year when I visited. Looking downstream, I could see (and hear) a large number of Bald Eagles roosting in trees on both sides of the tailrace. When I arrived at about 8:30 a.m., there were probably 50+ vultures hanging out in trees near the dam, awaiting the warmth of the sun to create some thermals so they could become airborne (click photos to enlarge) A tree near the office was decorated with numerous vultures of both local species. When I arrived, there were already a handful of photographers strung out along the bank and a couple of fishermen. My plan was to go fairly early, stay a couple of hours, and then head home before lunch to attend to the many chores that awaited. From what I have heard, you generally can observe at least a few eagles, but photography opportunities can be quite variable depending on the number of eagles present and how far down the waterway below the dam they are hanging out and fishing. I had seen a lot of images recently on social media of the Bald Eagles that tend to congregate there every winter and thought it was worth a visit. Everett Jordan Dam about 25 minutes from our house. I know he’d be a poorer man if he never saw an eagle fly.Ī couple of weeks ago I made a trip over to the B.
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