No, it is not at all my intention to toss your memory back to Meat Loaf’s 1977 hit song. But, this posting has everything to do with the fact that, despite a day in between where we saw just about every kind of winter weather, (snow accumulation, followed by one cm of frozen rain, followed then by regular rain, then two hours of fog, and then along came the aptly-named “cold front”, and high winds), I had two sightings of Golden Eagles over a period of three days. I had reported the bird that I saw north of Havelock on January 3, (just before the weather disturbance).
Then today, Jan. 5, at around 2:15pm, when I brought a hot afternoon coffee out on the front porch to see if I could drink it before it got cold, along flew an eagle to the west, heading southward at just above, and then periodically dipping below treetop height. I grabbed a pair of binoculars as quickly as I could, and sure enough, could clearly see all the fine characteristics of a first winter Golden Eagle!! It could have been another, but I believe it had just as much chance of being the same bird I saw two days ago. Afterall, “as the eagle flies” there is likely only a time distance of seven or eight minutes in between the location of todays fly-by, (just west of Belmont Lake), and of the sighting of two days ago, (just west of Round Lake). So, an ugly weather day yesterday or not, it was certainly surrounded by some fine Golden birding!! (Still have yet to see a Bald Eagle in 2015. Yes, poor me). 😉
Tim Dyson, Cordova Lake
Juvenile Golden Eagle – USFWS
