Although I saw two Barred Owls (one continuing, plus a new bird) on the Petroglyphs Christmas Bird Count, I have been through the “owl city” between Havelock and Stoney Lake several times since, and have only seen one, (Cty Rd 46 & Keating Road) a few days ago. I wonder if with the increasing moon, they are coming out a little later than what has been “the magic hour” between 4:00 and 5:00pm of recent weeks.
Driving back home this afternoon, (Jan. 3rd), I left County Road 44, and headed east across Church Road towards Cty Rd 46, north of Havelock. About 2/3 of the way to #46, I saw an eagle, not high, not low, heading s/w. Flapping and gliding as it went, I couldn’t help but think that I had never before seen an eagle so close, look more like a Turkey Vulture – pronounced dihedral, and very small head/neck. And so, I pulled off the road as it went along its way south of me, and I had a quick look with binoculars. Yup, a lovely 1st winter Golden Eagle. Looked to be a different bird than the one I saw more than 5 kms north of there soaring with an adult Bald on the 12th of December. The bird today showed a good amount of white through all of the primaries and secondaries, (where the earlier bird seemed to show white only at the bases of the primaries).
This would be my first eagle of 2015 – what a nice way to start with a Golden!!
Tim Dyson, Cordova Lake
Juvenile Golden Eagle – USFWS
