# Have you ever seen a bald eagle in the wild? Updated with Pictures!!!



## ValeriGail (Jan 21, 2010)

If so, Do you remember the first time one graced your sights?

I'm 36 years old, I live in Texas.  Currently in South east Texas on a lake (Lake Livingston, for those who know the area).  I've seen bald eagles many times at the zoo, but never live in the wild or in flight.

Two weeks ago, My husband and I were fishing off our dock (actually sitting in our boat in the boat lift, fishing off our nice comfy seats, lol) and I was watching over at this little wooded area about 4 lots from us. (one house separates us from this area)  I call it the habitat.  We have many Cranes that hang out there, and its normal for me to see 10+ cranes camping out in the mornings.  I love this spot, and when I'm out on the dock, more than often it is the spot I am staring at.  This evening was no exception. I was lost in thought, trying to figure out how I could get over there to take pictures of the cranes and other water fowl with out spooking them when a large bird caught my attention.  I was watching it playing on the wind up real high, and then it came a bit lower and started flying directly towards us.  It was then I saw its white head and tail!!  I couldn't believe my eyes.  I said "Bryan!"  And he said "Valeri!" as he stared at the majestic bird too.  I asked "is that what I think it is!" And he said "Yes, yes it is!" And we stood up and hurried off the boat to watch it sour over our dock and out over the lake following the shore line.  It was simply awesome!  I never ever thought I would see one in the wild, and most specially not in flight!  Gorgeous!!!

I texted my family, was like you all are not going to believe this!!  

Then life went on.    

Yesterday, we were out front doing yard work and other stuff.  My inlaws were over and they were in lawn chairs in the drive way, and we were all just chilling after working, waiting for dinner to be ready.  Every day around 4-5pm, the hawks come out and play on the wind.  The catch the wind coming off the lake and ride it like a surfer would ride a wave.  I'm talking 20+ birds.  Its awesome, in and of itself.  (Though I do have to admit the very first time I saw it, it was kind of spooky..  you know birds covering the sky.. bring anything to mind? but got over that and see the beauty of it).  so we are sitting there talking about the hawks and about the one sighting of the eagle, and guess who shows up  The bald eagle!  Except this time, I think its Mrs. Bald Eagle, because she was bigger than the one we saw two weeks before.  Her wing span was awesome, and she was leading the flock of hawks as if she was their queen, I kid you not!  Anyway, off she went, the hawks hung out riding their waves and we were talking about how awesome that eagle was, and how awesome it is to live here were we are with the opportunity to see such a wonderful wild thing... when I saw her again.  This time, she was flying lower, and we could see her in all her glory.. AND she had a FISH in her Talon!!!   Seriously!!   She flew out to the wooded area (there is a TRA park right next door, protected area) and into the trees!!!!   So... Not only did I get to see two beautiful eagles in two weeks, but I'm guessing those two have a nest near by!!! I am simply stoked!  

I love living here!  I was drowning in the city, I missed my open air.. and this place is like heaven!  Eagles!! Who would have thought!  

I'd love to hear your Eagle sighting stories if you have them, please share!

ETA:  PICS ON PAGE 2!!!!  SCORE!!!!


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## ◄ Jess ► (Apr 21, 2010)

When I was an undergrad, I wrote my thesis on the bird predation of garter snakes in California. This meant I got to spend a lot of time leaning back in meadows, just watching birds (and writing down which ones I saw!). I saw a lot of eagles and it was so cool to see them soar around overhead. I brought my sister with me one year (I did this during the summers) and we spent an hour watching an osprey nest to see if they brought back any snakes to their baby. We sat there for so long, just enjoying the view, that a deer crashed into the clearing and stood there for a few moments, just looking at us. Then it darted off and went on its way down the hill.

I can't remember the first time I saw a bald eagle, but I suspect it was one of the times my dad took me canoeing in Oregon.


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## Carol (was Dara) (Feb 19, 2011)

I live near a lake where eagles like to hang out, so it's not too unusual for me to see them. Awhile back when the lake road was extended they cut down the trees the eagles used to nest in. There was a bit of a fuss made over it and some group came along and put up fake trees for the eagles. But they're incredibly ugly and the birds won't touch them.


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## ValeriGail (Jan 21, 2010)

Dara England said:


> I live near a lake where eagles like to hang out, so it's not too unusual for me to see them. Awhile back when the lake road was extended they cut down the trees the eagles used to nest in. There was a bit of a fuss made over it and some group came along and put up fake trees for the eagles. But they're incredibly ugly and the birds won't touch them.


OH man, that is sad. I could understand the fuss. I had no idea we had eagles around here. I knew they were here once upon a time, but were endangered. In my research today (cause I go crazy and have to research everything I get super excited about, lol) I learned that there are more in the wild now than used to be and they've moved them to the "Threatened" list and off the endangered. That's pretty cool! I figured that, even though this is a small town, it was still to developed for such wild life. I don't even have deer right here. But, we have a lot of undeveloped land close, and very mature large trees on waterfront.. so I can totally see now why the eagles are here. It was just so cool to see how close I am living to nature with out even realizing it. I love everything about this place.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

They hang around the lakes in Winter here, so they are fairly easy to see as long as you don't mind looking through binoculars!

I remember touring Cape Canaveral in third grade and they pointed out a HUGE bald eagle's nest to us that was quite near the road, but there were no bald eagles around.  I don't actually remember my first time seeing the bird itself.


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## planet_janet (Feb 23, 2010)

I don't remember the first time I saw a bald eagle in the wild, but my DH, kids and I saw four of them in one sighting while we were camping last summer at Burney Falls (Shasta County, CA). They were amazing to see and it was fascinating to watch them.


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## StaceyHH (Sep 13, 2010)

There's a pair that nests in a tree right off the I5 south of Wilsonville, OR. Once in awhile if you're  lucky, you'll see them flying to and from the nest as you're driving down the highway. 

My first was when I was a kid camping at the coast. They are amazing.


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## Vegas_Asian (Nov 2, 2008)

wow amazing. That would be so cool to see. I haven't seen a bald eagle in the wild, but I have seen Russian swan during their migration. I lived in Japan and there is a lake (we americans called it Swan lake) and in the winter it would be covered with swans. Can barely see the water's survive. So much beauty


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

My father and my younger sister (who's staying with him until he get's back on his figurative feet again) saw one here in NJ last week flying near his house. Yes, the most densely populated state in the union still has some bald eagles (most probably in the Pine Barrens in the southern part of the state).


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## vsch (Mar 5, 2009)

Bald eagle live webcam from Iowa, hosted by the Raptor Research Project. Two eaglets in the nest, one egg ready to hatch at any time.. Very well done camera. I know not in the wild, but really very interesting to watch.

http://sportsmansparadiseonline.com/Decorah_Bald_Eagle_Nest.html


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## loonlover (Jul 4, 2009)

When we vacationed in Minnesota, there was an eagles nest near the river we took to get from one lake to another.  Since we had to go very slow while in this area, we would usually see the eagles and sometimes just stopped to watch them.  We also saw eagles when we took a boat tour of Lake Itasca.  Seeing them is always an amazing experience.  I've also really enjoyed the eagle cams available.  It has been nice to see the activity from the top, not just from down below.


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## Amy Corwin (Jan 3, 2011)

I used to be on Eagle watch at Mason Neck in Virginia. I loved it and got to see all kinds of eagles from adults to juvies. It was a fantastic experience.


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## Jane917 (Dec 29, 2009)

We have bald eagles nesting in the trees by the lake across the street. We see them fishing daily.


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## julieannfelicity (Jun 28, 2010)

It's funny I'd see this thread right after getting an e-mail with this, from my husband's cousin:

You have to watch this. I've been watching this for a while now. The Eagles eggs finally hatched two out of three. The male caught a rabbit and a crow. The first baby has been feeding now the second. The first one even pecks the second one.

The cam is on a tree and the lady who runs it can zoom in and then you see the eagle. The male is smaller than the female. So cool.

http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles

PS - Not sure if this is the same video as posted below (I didn't watch either) ... sorry if it is!


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## carl_h (Sep 8, 2010)

I see them frequently here in Oregon.


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## Coral Moore (Nov 29, 2009)

My husband and I took a driving vacation all over Wyoming/Colorado. It was one of the most fantastic experiences of my life. We did a rafting trip down the Snake River in Wyoming and we saw more than a half dozen of them, just hanging out in the trees looking for fish. We saw a ton of wildlife on that trip: bison, elk, moose, birds of all kinds. I'm hoping to talk him into doing another one this year up into Montana/Idaho this time. Highly, highly recommended.


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## JennaAnderson (Dec 25, 2009)

They are really making a come back here in MN. I see them when I am driving through Bloomington, around Lakeville and at my sister's cabins up north. They are amazingly beautiful. 

Cool but icky nature story - warning: 

A couple of summers ago, my son and I were at my sister's cabin in WI. Every evening the bald eagles would get primed up to hunt on the lake. They'd sit on their perch, screech, and flap their wings - well this would send the loons and ducks into a frenzy of quacking and calling. The entire lake would be in a uproar. One evening there was a group of duck mamas and their ducklings out right in front of the cabin. The bald eagles started their cries across the lake, took off and headed over to the group of ducks that were swimming near us. One mama gathered up a set of ducklings and swam one direction, the other mom went the other way. I don't know how they did it but one of the babies got pushed back and was left in the middle of the two groups - out in the open all by itself!! I swear they pushed it. The eagle circled over head. The little baby was in a panic swimming one way then the other. We were all standing shocked and horrified on the shore. (No we didn't think of covering the eyes of our little kids. UGH) The eagle swooped down to get the duckling and the little bugger dove down under the water! The eagle missed! It came up near one of the groups of ducks. We all cheered and jumped up and down - which scared away the eagle and the ducks.

It was an amazing sight to see. I'll never forget it. 

~ Jenna


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## NapCat (retired) (Jan 17, 2011)

I spend a lot of time in the Pacific NorthWest where the Bald Eagle can been seen often.....
Last summer in Davenport, Iowa, I got to see some up close, "fishing" in the Mississippi River. Too Kool !

Golden Eagles hang around my place here in the desert...(really makes the cats nervous !!)


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## ValeriGail (Jan 21, 2010)

Awesome story, Jenna!!


I saw one of the eagles again this afternoon.  I was sitting out on the dock watching the habitat, and there he was perched on one of the dead trees sticking out of the water!!!  I went in to get the camera, and was planning to walk over there, to the back side of the habitat and maybe get a pick by zooming in.. but found all my batteries dead!  ARG!!!!!!  by the time one charged enough to use, he was gone .

BUT!! that is the third sighting in the same area, SOOOOOOO... I think my chances of getting a picture are getting good.  As long as I keep the batteries charged, that is!


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## matt youngmark (Jan 11, 2011)

They're not uncommon here in Washington State. A friend lives near Pt. Defiance in Tacoma, and one day we were on his back porch and saw one perched on a telephone pole behind his house. There was a flock of crows that was very agitated by its presence, cawing and flying in wide circles above it, but the eagle just sat there, ignoring them. It was pretty great.


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## sebat (Nov 16, 2008)

My husband and I spent this past winter in Central Nebraska.  Nebraska has two indoor viewing locations for bald eagles. One is located at the J-2 Hydropower Plant south of Lexington and the other is at Kingsley Dam north of Ogallala.  Both are free to the public and open from January to late February. 

We spent 3 weekends watching the bald eagles.  At one point I counted 16 all sitting in one tree!  I was surprised to learn that they look like golden eagles until they reach maturity at around 5 years of age.  Up until that point, there is really no way to tell a golden eagle from a bald eagle other than the fact that bald eagles hang out around the water and prefer to eat fish while the golden eagle will be seen in fields because they prefer to eat rodents.


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## JennaAnderson (Dec 25, 2009)

That would have been a beautiful picture Valeri. Next time. 

We also have loud owls in our area. Makes my little doggie nervous. 

Jenna


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## spotsmom (Jan 20, 2011)

I live near the central Oregon Cascades, and we see eagles frequently.  Also osprey.  There is a nesting pair of Osprey on my drive to/from work every day right next to the parkway.  I love keeping track of them.

My husband loves eagles.  We were married beside the Deschutes River in Bend in late January, and right after the ceremony, a bald eagle flew right down the river besides us.  We thought it was a great indication of luck!

The Iowa webcam is incredible!!!


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## *DrDLN* (dr.s.dhillon) (Jan 19, 2011)

Yes, I have seen.  It used to sit at the mountain top in the morning when sun will hit that top in Colorado. I will sit in the window sipping my morning tea. The scene I still enjoy in my memory.


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## sherylb (Oct 27, 2008)

Yep, we see eagles every day here. In fact our state road construction project schedules are set up around the nesting eagles in our area. Very strict rules about what months work can be done in, what time of day, what equipment can be used due to noise levels, etc.


***Warning - Icky Stuff***
One year DH and I took a vacation to Nova Scotia in February. One of the "area attractions" in winter is an eagle gathering place that is near a chicken farm. The farmers throw the dead chicks out into the field and the eagles decided that was a nice place to pass the winter, what with all the free food and all, so they winter over there. The trees surrounding the farm were FULL of eagles. Being from Washington State, we were used to seeing eagles but I have never seen so many in one place. Ever. It was an amazing sight.


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## Bob Mayer (Feb 20, 2011)

Every day.  A pair live in a tree down the road.  They fly over Puget Sound all the time.


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## thejosh86 (Mar 1, 2011)

No, but I don't think a bald eagle has seen me in the wild either, so it's a stalemate.


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## starhawk (Sep 24, 2010)

here in Fl there are lots of bald eagles. First time I saw one close up it was standing on the dirt road right in front of my car. Awesome. I was surprised at how large they are.


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## ValeriGail (Jan 21, 2010)

We went out on the water yesterday afternoon, and I asked to get a close look at the habitat... when we rounded the corner from the park where hubby picked me and the kids up (we had walked over there before he got home, so he hopped on the boat and picked us up at the pier instead of us going home)... There was one of the Eagles perched on the tall tree!!!










I started snapping pics, and we got as close as we could to him. He wasn't too happy with us, down under him and he took flight. I just kept snapping and got one really good shot. 










So, Four sightings. Twice on the same tree in one day. I'm thinking I'm gonna be seeing a lot of this eagle and his/her mate. Totally excited about that!

I walked down to the habitat before heading to the park. I can get to the back of it from my street. There were buzzards perched on that tree then.. about 20-30 buzzards in the trees there. I took some pictures of them too. It was very intimidating standing that close to a group of buzzards. I forgot how loud their wings are! I was once grazed by the wing of a large (larger than the ones I saw yesterday, turkey vultures) buzzard about 9 years ago, when I ran out to protect my little puppy from them. They were training their young to hunt, and using the pup... one of the scariest experiences of my life. The adult buzzards would swoop down but not catch anything, then the young would swoop down.. When I ran out to get the pup, the adults all swooped at me, throwing my hair into a mess of tangles and one of them grazed my shoulder with its wing. The sound of them flying was so loud and scary! So standing there yesterday, realizing that they were buzzards and not hawks (which is what I thought they were before walking over there)... it took me a few minutes to compose myself and take their pictures!


































So I was doing some research and I think these are black vultures. If anyone recognizes what type of buzzard/vulture they are, could you post and let me know if I'm right or wrong, please.


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## Amy Corwin (Jan 3, 2011)

ValeriGail said:


> We went out on the water yesterday afternoon, and I asked to get a close look at the habitat... when we rounded the corner from the park where hubby picked me and the kids up (we had walked over there before he got home, so he hopped on the boat and picked us up at the pier instead of us going home)... There was one of the Eagles perched on the tall tree!!!


Great pictures! Thanks so much for posting them--you're making me want to go back to Virginia and sign up to do the eagle watch again.


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## bobavey (Sep 14, 2010)

Yes, I have seen bald eagles three different times in the wilds of Oklahoma. However, I've never been in a position to photograph them.


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## Tatiana (Aug 20, 2010)

We live along a river in NVA and there is an eagle nest nearby.  I see the eagles sitting in the trees and soaring high overhead every day.  Last week another woman and I stood in the Post Office parking lot and watched two eagles exchange places in a tree across the river and then one of the kept circling above the USPS.  

A few years ago I was driving north on the high bridge just outside town.  Suddenly this bird came from under the bridge and flew across in front of me.  It was so close it's wings brushed my windshield.  The bird was VERY large with a white head and white tail feathers...yup, it was a Bald Eagle. Bald Eagles are HUGE birds and so majestic.

If I had injured or killed the Eagle that day I would have had to explain to the law enforcement officials how I managed to do it with my car , I'm told, since it's illegal to kill an Eagle, or even pickup Bald Eagle feathers unless authorized by the US govt. 

Every morning we have at least a dozen or more Black Vultures sitting in the 40 ft tall tree in our yard.  We joke that iF our small dog stops moving for too long one of the Vultures will swoop down and carry him off.

BTW, a customer told us the story of watching a Great Horned Owl swoop down and carry off his father's Yorkshire Terrier from his yard.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

I've never seen an eagle in the wild (but I did see one at the bird sanctuary on Kangaroo Island), but I've seen blue herons, blue footed boobies, swallowtail gulls, galapagos hawks, galapagos finches, mockingbirds ospreys, pelicans and owls.  and penguins.  and ostriches, but they were on an ostrich farm.


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## Stephen T. Harper (Dec 20, 2010)

I saw a Bald Eagle in a pretty unlikely place, Southern Maryland.  There are very few living there (I would have thought "none" until I saw one), but actually, the habitat it right - lots of water, big enough stretches of woods without people, etc.  I saw the shadow on the ground first, the size of a car.  Looked up, and... whoa.  If you've never seen one in person, Bald Eagles are huge.


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## ValeriGail (Jan 21, 2010)

I saw him again twice today.    First, when I was rushing out to go pick up the kids from the bus stop.  I told him "Ok mr eagle! If you are going to make it a habit to fly over me when I don't have a camera, we are going to have a serious talk!"  LOL  

Then around 6 pm, we were all sitting out in the yard.  The Vultures were out doing their thing.  The kids and I were talking about what the vultures eat, and I was reasuring them that they wouldn't swoop down and take a kid or two (unless they smelled really good!) when he flew along the bulk head over the water.    So, me thinks we are directly in his normal flight pattern!  which is AWESOME!  

Question for those who might know...  

My MIL was wondering if I should report the sighting to someone local.. a wild life agency or maybe TRA (Trinity River Authority) so that they know (if they don't already) that an eagle is in the area.  What do you all think?


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## StaceyHH (Sep 13, 2010)

Sure! call your local Audubon chapter or birding association.


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## ValeriGail (Jan 21, 2010)

Saw him three times today  

The tree where he is perched in the picture seems to be a regular daily stop for him. I've seen him almost every day this week perched there around 1 pm and again in the evenings around 4. He generally flies over the house between 4-6 pm. Today, he flew over at around 4:30. We saw him perched on the tree at around 3:30 ish and we walked over there to get a closer look. (My mom came to visit, but she was really there only to see the eagle! LOL) We couldn't tell if it was him for sure with the way the sun is today. I took a pic and was pretty sure due to body shape that it was him. So we walked over there, but he saw us and took flight. The light hit his tail perfectly as he took off and I knew it was him! Then, I was standing on the dock waiting to take a picture of a bird that is nesting there (I think its a swallow of some type), when I stopped to watch the vultures on their nightly hunt/wind play... and there he was, right above my head!!!

Totally loving this. You guys have no idea. It has become an important part of my day to wait and watch for the eagle. I just wish I knew if there was most definitely two of them.

Anyway, here is today's pic!


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