Bald Eagle(!) or Golden Eagle? Any ornithologists out there?

[Joe Schmoe]

In light of the National Monument declaration we decided to pay it a visit.  We saw an exceptionally large bird with a branch/twig in it's mouth fly over us and I caught a glimpse of where it landed.  Until I reviewed the pictures it didn't at all occur to me that this might be a Bald Eagle.  Like the rock I though was a Native American site (I'm still kinda convinced it is), I will only say where it is located to someone on the board who has previously identified themselves as Forest Service personnel.

This was a close and as zoomed in as I could get.  The first phot is not quite full-resolution.  So, Bald Eagle?


Blown up more than full-resolution:

[Wrightwood]

Very nice

[Jim Wilkins]

Might be a juvenile Bald Eagle.  We have a number of Bald Eagles that nest in the San Bernardinos with the numbers slowly increasing.  No reason to think that they couldn't be further West as well.  They have a very distinctive flight pattern that once viewed is seldom forgotten. 

Here's one I took on the Skagit River in WA where there were about 400 per mile waiting for a Salmon run

[SkierBob]

I sent the pictures to my UC Davis skiing buddy who is a ornithologist and asked him if it was a juvi Bald Eagle. 

His reply was "Exactly". 

[Tall Trees]

Hi Joe Schmoe, I might be the Forest Service Personnel that you mentioned in a previous post.  This appears to be an adult Bald Eagle and the fact that you observed it flying with a twig in it's beak and the picture shows it roosting in a tree above a nest leads me to believe that it is a nesting pair of Bald Eagles.  Most likely you have captured on film a pair of nesting Bald Eagles in the San Gabriel National Monument.  There are only a few documented nest sits from the past so this is really great to see!

[Jeremy]

Very cool!

The few that I have seen in the wild have been preying on fish. I wonder where this fella gets his dinner

[lagomorphmom]

Hi Joe Schmoe, I might be the Forest Service Personnel that you mentioned in a previous post.  This appears to be an adult Bald Eagle and the fact that you observed it flying with a twig in it's beak and the picture shows it roosting in a tree above a nest leads me to believe that it is a nesting pair of Bald Eagles.  Most likely you have captured on film a pair of nesting Bald Eagles in the San Gabriel National Monument.  There are only a few documented nest sits from the past so this is really great to see!

Interesting notion, TT. I've been following the Decorah eagles for a few years now. It does appear the eagle in the pic may be entering adulthood as his/her head and tail are on their way to being white, see the link below of a 3.5yo female. They are sexually mature at 4-5yo so could be. Although serious nesting occurs around early Feb., according to a recent post on the Decorah Eagle FB page, "they start their nestorations and such now, it is part of the bonding of their relationship. The REAL nestorations will begin in a month or so and then EGGS in Feb", but that is in Iowa. Knowing how big eagle nests get, I'd say they have a lot of work to do for nest #1! 

Beautiful pic, Jim!

http://www.hancockwildlife.org/mediagallery/media.php?s=20080711204554665

[Joe Schmoe]

I went and rented an expensive lens and a tele-extender and, well, there really is no question what that is!  I'm working on video.

Full-resolution: https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5600/14910672843_44bba02b9a_o.jpg
Smaller File:

[Tall Trees]

It does appear that this nest building is a little early in the season but, this could be a sign of things to come for the winter.  El Nino, Climate Change and the transition from fall season to winter who knows why they could be starting early.  Maybe there are juveniles and this is there first time?  The Great Horned Owls have similar nesting seasons as the Bald Eagles.

[BEARZY]

That is just breath taking  BEAUTIFUL!!!

[Joe Schmoe]

HD Video: http://youtu.be/t1IWeFcNYRM

At :50 the bird expresses his opinion of the people who attempted to manipulate the public into stopping the area being declared a National Monument.  Need some good reasons why the area needs protection?  Go there, look around.

I have some video of the bird in flight, but I'm not willing to share that yet.

[Jim Wilkins]

One thing I found photographing nesting Red Tailed Hawks was that even with my 400mm lens, their eyesight is such that I would find myself bothering the birds.  I kept moving back until I got no reaction to my presence and zoomed in with Photoshop after the fact.  The Eagles were kinda like Seagulls in that our presence didn't bother them in the slightest.  They were everywhere in the trees and along the shore. 

I've got that picture of the nest.....and I am willing to share it. 

   

[angelwolf326]

Beautiful image Jim!

[sharyn]

In Big Bear in winter when part of the lake freezes it catches waterbirds that were sitting overnight and the eagles have a free breakfast waiting.  I've never seen it but it would be something neat to watch.

[Jeremy]

In Big Bear in winter when part of the lake freezes it catches waterbirds that were sitting overnight and the eagles have a free breakfast waiting.  I've never seen it but it would be something neat to watch.

Wow, sounds like a sight worth waking up before dawn after a cold night to see.

[lagomorphmom]

Wow, sounds like a sight worth waking up before dawn after a cold night to see.

Color that view PG and maybe best before breakfast. 
Yes, I know, it's "nature" but the sitting duck aspect would be hard for me to watch.

[Joe Schmoe]

Today was a miserable day, even for Bald Eagles.  Our friend is still around.


The nest looks noticeably bigger than when we found him/her in Oct 2014, taken from very slightly different angle and when I rented a much better lens:

[Wrightwood]

Very Nice!

What lens were you using on the two different shots?

[Joe Schmoe]

I thought for sure the older one above was taken with the rented lens, but looking at the Exif data it looks like the older photo also was taken with my 55-250 IS lens.

Below is the one I took that same day in 2014 with the rented lens.  As I recall that was a Canon 100-400L lens with I think it was a 2X teleconverter.  This is the same photo (more or less) that was previously posted in this thread:

[Joe Schmoe]

Well, the secret of the Eagle's nest location is out: http://www.dailybulletin.com/environment-and-nature/20160420/this-video-shows-a-rare-bald-eagle-found-north-of-azusa-in-angeles-national-forest

I hope the publicity doesn't make this story have a sad ending.  At least I bought them 18 months of anonymity to get settled in.  So many people drive up and down Azusa Canyon and the tree isn't that far off the road.  I'm REALLY apprehensive about this, but it's great that there is a baby.  Seeing the news about the other Eagles mentioned here the wife and I intended to go up there again soon and see if there were any young.  The media beat us to it.

It's kinda neat to see that the adult's white plumage has fully filled in from when I first saw them in 2014.  How cool to have a BALD EAGLE successfully breeding so close to so many people....around HERE...not some far off place.

Here is a video form 2014 I purposely withheld because the power lines could have been a clue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFBwJwxSDOU .  That was shot the day I went back with the rented lens.  I got back to the location and was SO bummed to find that it wasn't there.  Then as I'm sitting there, this thing comes over the ridge behind me and planted itself on the tree and allowed me to take those pictures I've shown you folks and shared with the FS personnel. 

I was using a pretty serious lens...I don't know what kind of hardware they are using to get such good shots.  It has to be one of the top of the line fixed focal length lenses. EDIT: I see they left the EXIF data on the pics - they are using a Nikon D4 [$2500+] and a 600mm unspecified lens.  If that is a Nikor 600mm lens that thing goes for $10,000.......WOW.  Their pictures, not mine:


Junior: