Last night at the Dobbins Farm Ponds, a young man asked if we were there to see the eagles. We had no idea there were eagles--we were just looking to see what was there, and since it was near dusk, hoping (against hope) that maybe that short-eared owl from a couple of years ago might show up.
There were no eagles--it was just too late, the young man said. But - I drove out again this morning by myself, and had no trouble at all locating an immature eagle. It was right where the young man said it would be. It was watching the first pond, apparently (again according to the young man) looking for young gulls to eat. It did a fly-over for me, and in my new binoculars, it was quite a sight. I was able to watch it for a full half-hour.
I had forgotten that an immature eagle is mottled brown and white - no black anywhere except a little on the head, and certainly no white head. It was still unmistakably an eagle. Huge in size, huge crooked beak, and feathers partway down the leg. Beautiful.
