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Birding/what kind of bird is this??

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Expert: Julia Booth - 8/24/2009


Question

we were at Barr lake, a colorado state park. we saw this bird on a tree, some distance away. barr lake is known for have bald eagles and we believe this is a young bald eagle but are not sure. it was a dark brown with a few white spots on it. it did take  off and fly over us. after looking at some pics on the internet we are pretty sure it was a younger bald eagle. we would really appreciate your opinion.

thank you,
     matt and marisa

Answer
That does appear to be a juvenile Bald Eagle.

From what I understand, Barr Lake is a nesting territory for Bald Eagles. They are considered common there and are permanent residents. They even have special programs for viewing them. They would be just post fledging period at this point. So the timing would fit.

http://parks.state.co.us/NR/rdonlyres/E2733D4F-0735-4610-82E2-011D1192C0D3/0/Bal...

Here's a checklist for Barr Lake:

http://parks.state.co.us/NR/rdonlyres/08AAD590-134A-45D4-9D58-537270C212CE/0/BAR...

And their website:

http://parks.state.co.us/Parks/barrlake

Good catch. I live in So Cal, so I would need to drive up to the mountains just to see one of those.

Julia
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    Commentthank you so much!!


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Julia Booth

Expertise

I can answer questions about bird identification (by sight or sound), behavior, distribution, population, conservation, mating, nesting, fledging and feeding. I do have some practical knowledge about foreign species, but identification skills are limited in that arena. Bear in mind that as much as I know, it's possible that at least some of you will ask a question that I am unable to answer. At which point I would direct you to wherever or whomever I thought could provide you with that information.

Experience

I have 15 years birding experience in Southern California.

Organizations
Audubon Society

Education/Credentials
My education is in art and photography -but I have a substantial portfolio of nature related work.

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