American Bald Eagle

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J

Jack

I am no bird expert but.... I swear I saw an American Bald Eagle the other day, while this is not big news to those in Alaska, it was the first one I have seen in the southeast. The eagle was sitting/standing just back from a sandy beach on a small island in Tampa Bay, he was eating something, perhaps a small fish. He was a huge bird!!! Sorry, no pictures. I'm curious, are other people seeing this birds more often?? thanks, Jack
 
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dr

osprey

I could be an eagle but also might be an osprey- there are a bunch of them in florida too. from a distance might look similar. but i'm no bird guy.
 
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Dick of Sylvan

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Jul 8, 2004
157
- - Pinedale, WY
Florida Eagles

Jack: Good chance that it was an American Bald Eagle. Florida maintained a population thru the bad years (the DDT egg shell plus other problems) and it also gets migrants from the north I think. I saw one over a lake near Clermont, Fl three weeks ago while visiting our son, and saw several in the Everglades way back in the 70's on a brief visit. You can find a lot about birds reported in your area and elsewhere thru www.birdingonthe.net/ and it can refer you to http://www.lists.ufl.edu/archives/floridabirds-l.html which gets you to lots of reports by Florida birders. Osprey are more more common and easy to distinguish-- smaller and white on breast and under wings, some black on head, dark beak, etc. Both occur in the summer at Fremont Lake in northwestern Wyoming where my C 22 "Sylvan" is toughing out the cold (- 31 on a nearby ridge a couple of weeks ago). Dick
 
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Calif. Ted

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Jun 8, 2004
2,863
Catalina 320 Dana Point
Even in S. California, there is a nesting site

at Big Bear Lake near Los Angeles that has expanded to nearby Silverwood and other lakes in the area. I came around a corner once and there was one chowing down on a rabbit by the side of the road, looked 4 feet tall standing there. This fall there was an Osprey hanging around Dana Point for a couple days, first one I've seen sitting on a lamp post.
 
J

Jack

Osprey? No way!

Dick, Thank you for the nice reply,I found the link interesting. One fellow wrote that he had counted 55 of them at a landfill by Daytona Beach. I had no idea there were so many here. As far as the osprey quess,.. thanks for the quess but,.. no way. Osprey are as common here as pigeons in NYC. The bird I saw was absolutely magnificent! 4 foot tall is a fair guess. Sorry for drifting off the sailing stuff, I'm home with the flu. Must be the fever. thanks, Jack
 
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