Bird ID

Bruce Douglas of Arizona, traveling, sent me this photo from the vicinity of Grand Coulee Dam. I am pretty sure what it is and sent him my thoughts, which I will blog in a little. But what do YOU think?

Bruce said it was “huge”.

Click to embiggen:

UPDATE: Our take, FWIW: We (Lib came to the same conclusion without coaching) THINK it is a juvenile bald eagle. The second photo is most diagnostic. The head and heavy bill protrude way forward. Swift slope- soaring makes all wings swept- back and similar, but when we are coaching inexperienced birders to tell balds from goldens before they get the white heads we say: “Wings like boards, flat when they soar, like barn doors when they flap; goldens have no straight lines. And see that big nose sticking out? Goldens have little heads, but balds are all smoking cigars.”

4 comments

  1. Condor. Andean or California. Think maybe former believe it or not. Possible as they released them before the transplant of the California birds. Not sure if they all got recaptured.

  2. I think that is what Bruce HOPES it was. I wish I could quantify "huge", but I think it is something else, rather smaller though still big.

    The Andean idea fascinates me!

  3. Yeah, immature Baldy would be my guess, too–I've seen a few of these, and they certainly look just like this!….L.B.

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