I have never spotted a Bald Eagle in Hollerdom before so this was a most rockin, eagle-watchin, day!
I travel to Canada and Alaska to try to spot these beauties up close. Bald Eagle populations in Southern California have been decimated in the past decades from residual DDT, habitat destruction, and human persecution.
I know there are a few Bald Eagles in the area, but having never seen one here in my lifetime, today was an epic day!
This eagle is tagged with a number 83. As far as I can ascertain she may be an eagle bred in Channel Islands National Park as part of a Bald Eagle restoration study/project. I am not at all certain of this. If anyone knows the identity of this tagged eagle, and if she is from The Channel Island Project, please let me know.
The study reports Bald Eagle K83, tagged in Channel Islands National Park, was spotted in Mission Bay in 2012 which is around 75 miles from The Holler. Check out this table from the study and note eagle tagged K83:
Table 4. Status of bald eagles released or fledged from nests on Santa Catalina Island, CA prior to 2012 and seen
in 2012.
629-29499 F K-02 West End 2000 Alive, Lake Hemet, CA
629-02780 M K-10 Twin Rocks 2001 Alive, Pelican Harbor pair, Santa Cruz Is.
629-02793 F K-26 West End 2002 Alive, Pelican Harbor pair, Santa Cruz Is.
629-47371 F K-47 Seal Rocks 2004 Alive, Rattlesnake pair, Catalina Is.
629-47398 F K-56 Seal Rocks 2005 Alive, Pinnacle Rock pair, Catalina Is.
629-52425 M K-00 Pinnacle Rock 2007 Alive, Twin Rocks pair, Catalina Is.
629-52428 M K-73 West End 2007 Alive, Pinnacle Rock pair, Catalina Is.
629-52434 F K-03 Seal Rocks 2007 Alive, Lake Elizabeth, CA 3/8/12
629-52442 F K-83 Two Harbors 2008 Alive, Mission Bay, CA 3/7/12
629-52443 M K-88 Twin Rocks 2008 Alive, San Clemente Island 12/19/12
629-52446 F K-67 West End 2008 Alive, Santa Rosa Island 6/20/12
629-52449 F K-87 Two Harbors 2009 Alive, San Clemente Island 4/22/12
629-52450 F K-91 Two Harbors 2009 Alive, Catalina Island 9/12
629-03429 F K-97 West End 2009 Alive, Catalina Island 5/17/12
629-03431 F K-05 Seal Rocks 2010 Alive, Santa Cruz Island 4/20/12
629-04104 F K-15 Rattlesnake 2011 Alive, Catalina Island 9/28/12
629-04106 F K-12 West End 2011 Alive, Dillon, MT 2/18/12
Most of the eagles seemed to stay in the Channel Islands National Park as of this 2012 survey, but one was found all the way in Montana, another in Hemet which is a desert community in Central California, and K83 was seen in Mission Bay which is on the ocean in San Diego County.
I saw another Bald Eagle in the sky today, so there seems to be a pair!
I wonder what the Holler Hawks make of the Holler Eagles!
Cheers to you from the Holler Eagles and a very thrilled birdie photographer~
For a link to the study I found online, click on the link below. You will note that attempts to successfully restore Bald Eagles to Southern California has been challenging and difficult:
Click to access Montrose-bald-eagle-report-2012-final-031913.pdf
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That is so exciting! And your photos are grand.
Thank you Dor and yep, quite an eagle-rockin day!
My heart leapt as I saw a hawk yesterday. I know it would thrill to the sight of an eagle. How wonderful for you.
Yes. I go thousands of miles to see this species. Seeing her is like seeing a mountain lion, which I have never done, and I have lived in this area all my life. I know a few (eagles and lions) are here, but I never expected to see one. Quite an amazing day! Thanks for understanding~
How did you read the number on the bird? Did you use binoculars?
Leslie
I can see it clearly in the zoom photographs. The tag has faded from orange to sort of a peach color and the digits 8 and 3 are broken up a bit but still fully legible.
That’s really neat.
Leslie
Ahh. The light colored area on the left wing/shoulder. I thought it was a light feather but now that I know what it is it’s obvious. Thanks.
When I first saw the eagle on full zoom I saw this weird spot which made me think my lens had a problem. When I hiked closer, I could clearly see the tag, so I had to google the number to see if I could find any information. I could only find one lead online which was unusal.
Such a well deserved privilege for you to have and boy, Cindy! You shared your lucky and rare photographs with us! Now, we are blessed, too. Happiness abounds when healthy eagle arrives. We have Eagles along two local reservoirs here in Central Ohio. I would not presume to try and capture photos but have dated a fisherman who saw Eagles while we fished and it did make a beautiful view in my “mind’s eye.” Free flying and soaring Eagles are such beautiful, majestic birds!!
I watched eagles fish in Canada and eat their catch. I came upon a pile of fish bones and was puzzling over it, when an eerie feeling came over me. I looked and a very annoyed and very large bald eagle was glaring down at me. Needless to say, I got away from the bone pile and proceeded to watch Mama, Daddy and juvenile eagle enjoy a fish dinner! What incredible animals!
You are so fortunate to have eagles where you live Robin. I would love to see them!
Stunning as always Cindy!
Merci beaucoup mon ami!
What a marvelous experience–not too far from my small town is an area where we can view scores of eagles. It’s the most emotional of experiences to view such majesty in large numbers. But it doesn’t matter, because one eagle is a testament to Mother Nature magnificent glory. One eagle is enough to make smiles for the entire day.
Seeing scores of them is something I would love to do. I went to the Tantalus Mountains to see the river where they congregate, but our timing was slightly off. It must just be incredible to see tons of them nesting and flying. How wonderful!
I didn’t know that we had any bald eagles in Southern California. I’m sure they don’t get out here by the coast, but it’s nice to know they exist! Great pic So!
Well this eagle was bred in Channel Islands National Park and spotted in Mission Bay in 2012. There is a population of bald eagles in Channel Islands which is definitely coastal SoCal, albeit offshore on the islands. I doubt this eagle stayed for long in Mission Bay, so I think you are correct.
Great pictures. I’ve seen a few around where I live. 🙂
Lucky you!
What GREAT photos you captured of this majestic eagle, Cindy!! You’re soooo lucky to have spotted her — I see hawks soaring overhead here quite often, but have only seen eagles in photos. No wonder it’s our national bird!!
Yes, proud, powerful and majestic. She is an incredible creature!
I bet you could hardly believe your eyes, Cindy! Hard to understand people harming these magnificent creatures, but I suppose they prey on flocks where they can.
It is hard to understand a lot of the cruel things both big and small, that some people do, but heartening to also see how many people care and try to help. Happy weekend Jo!
Thanks, Cindy! To you too 🙂
Congratulations on your find. Perhaps they new you were looking and decided to be obliging. 🙂
That would make me far more important than I actually am, but it is a nice thought. Maybe they didn’t see me as a big threat and that is cool enough for me. You should hop over the pond Graham and visit The Holler. I can show you rattlers, and roadrunners, hawks and Hollerites. You could come in the winter. It would stop you from getting homesick really quickly! 😉 😉
Wow, Cindy, I got goosebumps just looking at these gorgeous photos. These birds are so majestic and have such a strong patriotic tag attached to them. Your photos are so amazing.
They are magnificent aren’t they! They give me that goosebumpy, awestruck feeling every time I am in their presence.
Why do they call them bald when they are not bald Do they have non-bald eagles. What’s up with that?
There are a variety of non-bald eagles. At The Holler we have golden eagles, although I rarely see them. They call them bald because bald used to mean white, hence snow capped Mt Baldy. Also the white head in the distance can blend with the sky and clouds making them actually look bald. Juvenile bald eagles are brown speckled all over with no white cap so they shouldn’t be called bald at all!!! Glad I could complicate this for you! 😉 😉
I would not want to call one of them baldie to their face unless I could run real fast. LOL
Magnificent photos, Cindy! And now a pair…and perhaps some eaglets too. How wonderful that our bald eagles are making a strong comeback. Yay! 🙂
Thank you Bette. Losing bald eagles in North America is just not acceptable!
Magnificent.
They truly are, just that!
Great pictures. The eagle has landed, all other her creatures, look out!
Exactly, the Queen of the skies is now ruling her kingdom. How cool is that!
Reblogged this on necltr and commented:
The eagle has landed!
Thank you for supporting our endangered Bald Eagles & cheers to you~
It is such a majestic bird. We have them in the Northwest and it’s a thrill every time I see one. Great photos, Cindy!
I got close to some in Canada and was acting full bore star struck. They are so numerous there that people were looking at me like, “Whats wrong with you? We have them all over the place.”
Ha ha. I was taking pictures of beach grass in Hawaii because I liked the way it looked in the light. A couple teenage boys were making fun of me. Little did they know! 🙂
Yep, one person’s common, is another’s exotic!
The eagle looks so majestic! The attitude being, “I care nobody” ..truly royal… 😀 Great captures as always, Cindy… 🙂
There is a element of both tolerance and disdain, quite Queenly really!
What a fantastic experience! Magnificent bird of prey…lovely baldie!!
She is The Holler Sky Queen! 😉
Beautiful and breathtaking! I’ve seen eagles up close, all of my life, but there is just something about those magnificent raptors…and yes, they are scavengers too!
I have a feeling that the mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex is the original ‘velociraptor,’ LOL – they just kept on getting smaller as the Earth’s climate changed!
😀
I agree with you completely. Birds often remind me of feathered, flying dinosaurs, particularly the herons and egrets. I had a Great Blue Heron at the glass front doors of The Holler. I had no idea it was there, and as I was walkiing by, before my brain could process what it was, the message relayed through my cortez was, “There is a dinosaur at your door!”
Considering the size and habits of this birdie, which stayed here for awhile, that initial assessment still seems right! It sure cleaned out our lizard and snake populations! 😉
Oh, how lovely! I would love to see one. Beautiful photos!
Thank you and I hope you do get to see one. You will never forget it! <3
Incredible!!! I’ve only seen them in Alaska. Lucky you!
I saw two in the sky today. So……. they’re heeeeere!!
WOW! So lucky!!
I love those magnificent birds. I consider it an honor just to be in their presence. This must have been an absolute thrill. Beautifully captured Cindy!!!
Yep, that is exactly how I felt. Thank you for knowing~
Hello to the Holler Eagles from Canadian Eagles. Long Live the Bald Eagle! <3
Lucky you Resa and your Canadian eagles! Who expected to have some in Hollerdom? I used to have to travel towards you to see them. I am pretty jazzed! I am returning to Canada in the fall (of course, I do everyear) to hang out with the grizzlies during the salmon run on the Knight Inlet. I expect to see lots of eagles. I will try hard to act nonchalant (like a Canadian), since I have seen two at The Holler! 😉 😉
Are you going to Churchill to see the Polar Bears? They are now an endangered species, eating garbage from human waste bins. I’m so sad.
You are psychic. We are going this fall to Knight Inlet to stay with the grizzlies. We have been before but not to stay in the Inlet. The following year (2017) we are either going to Churchill or Norway/Iceland to see the polar bears. I am researching and trying to decide now. Our sighting chances are better in Churchill and there are belugas and snowy owls.
It is beyond disgusting what we are doing to the polar bears. We think we can kill off all these species and continue to live. We are too stupid to realize (hello Trump & Palin) that we are also killing ourselves, as they go, so do we. They are the canaries in the cave. Look at our cancer rates and look at our environment and our food.
I just took photos last night of our “cage and cruelty free” local chicken farm smashing the chickens into crates for transport. They were packed in like sardines. About 40% were alive after the smashing, I photographed their eyes looking at me. Considering they are jammed so tightly into their cage free environment that they can’t move BEFORE this transport nightmare, are fed antibiotics, and God knows what else, it is amazing any human who eats this regularly doesn’t contract some chronic disease. If people drove by this like I do, they would be appalled.
WOW A BEAUTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Isn’t she spectacular and healthy looking too!
Wow! How wonderful!!!!
Isn’t she splendid! 🙂
Majestic, Cindy. ^-^ I wonder why humans would kill them.
I just heard people killed a wolf family in the state of Oregon. Human behavior can be quite depressing.
That’s a tragedy. Inexplicable…
Yes.
So exciting to see an eagle where none have been seen before. Restoration projects have been largely successful, thankfully. The CT river shed near me has seen their numbers increasing. I saw one in a tree last fall behind my house and I was jumping up and down, I was so excited, so I can imagine how you felt! The closest nest that I know of is about 20 miles away. Let’s hope you have a nesting pair there!
Yes, and I saw them in the sky yesterday! Nothing like having them near, when they are so endangered here, to ramp up my protective feelings. It’s good this place is in the boonies.
Is there water nearby? Their preferred diet is fish, but they’ll go for reptiles and small mammals, which I’m pretty sure you have a lot of!
Yes, there is a lake where I think they nest and hang out most of the time and a creek on our property.
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That is a thrilling sighting! And you got great shots!!! Maybe you’ll find the nest too.
Yes! It was such an incredible day. A bird person like you can fully understand how I felt. If they have a nest, I will give it lots of space. They are so very endangered here.
It’s awesome that you saw a bald eagle near where you live. They are such beautiful and impressive birds.
Yes! This is exactly what they are. They exude wildness.
An epic day, indeed!! Cindy, this is fabulous. Thank you for sharing, what a treat!
Thank you for understanding. A thrill like this shared is doubled!
We have a lot of people loving and protecting eagles here in Oregon, Cindy. Here’s a recent one you might like to look at. http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2016/02/public_invited_to_watch_bald_e.html
That is so cool! Another blogger posted a video of people rescuing a drowning eagle. What struck me looking at both of these, was how the eagle didn’t resist and clearly knew the people were helping him. It is so good when people are good, and most are. On that good note, Oregon just killed their famous wolf:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/oregon-just-killed-family-wolves-181546732.html
It is so bad when people are not good.
Wow, I do not think of Bald Eagles in California, by why not? We have a breading region about 20 miles from us, in the Trough along the South Fork of the Potomac River (between Moorefield and Romeny, WV). As the region has become populated, they are moving our way. Two flood-control dams/resevoirs near us have been created in the past 15 years. These now have breading pairs of Bald Eagles. We see them pretty regularly now.
As to the Hawks and Eagles, they eat different food sources. Hawks are superb hunters of rodents, as you know, while Eagles tend to go for fish (any year-round streams or ponds in your area?). Also, Eagles will eat dead stuff that Hawks bypass (e.g. road-kill, downed animals, etc.). This is one reason that Ben Franklin preferred the Wild Turkey over the Bald Eagle as our national bird. He had seen enough political-predators eating political-roadkill.
Oscar
Fascinating info. Thanks much for passing it along. You are fortunate to have so many eagles near you!
Perfect shots! They look effortless.
They pretty much were, and the eagle clearly decided to let me take them which was so very cool!
Thanks, Cindy, for this interesting information. What a huge, beautiful bird. —- Suzanne
I have seen eagles up close before, but I was struck by just how BIG this one was!
Majestic bird! What a lucky day, so happy for you!
Thank you! It was one of those day that make you feel blessed.
Indeed! Look forward to more blessed days 🙂
Ah, Cindy. What a great gift you give us. Thank you.
Thank you so much more for seeing her as a gift. This is exactly how I see her! <3
Beautiful bird, beautiful capture Cindy…thank you so much for sharing. What a magnificent moment it must have been for you!
Yep. It will be one of those top surprise moments that stay in your memory for a lifetime. It was a big deal to me. Thanks for knowing this~ <3
That is a beautiful eagle, Cindy. I have seen them here, but only from a distance. He looks intense, but smiling… 🙂
I love the combination of tolerance (I know you are walking slowly towards me human and I will allow it) and disdain (but now that you have seen me I will never once acknowledge your existance!) Love her!
Wow magnificent!
Exactly what she is! <3
yes for sure!
Those piercing eyes are quite something….glad you got to meet this eagle. We’ve got quite a few bald eagles and a few rarer golden eagles in our county (VA mountains) but I rarely get close enough to them to get the really sharp pics I want.
We have Golden Eagles too, more of them certainly than Bald Eagles. Still I have only seen them a few times in my life. They are all such impressive creatures!
I bet you are thrilled. He/she makes the trees look small.
When I was inching closer and closer, I was thinking, my what a BIG bird you are! I think she is the biggest eagle I have ever seen. Amazing power and size~
What magnificent birds. How exciting that you got to see them.
Plus, she let me get close which was a major thrill!
Beautiful captures, Cindy. I love bald eagles.
Blessings ~ Wendy
It could almost be a mental health test question, something being very wrong with anyone who doesn’t respect an eagle! Laughing…….
🙂
What a treat that must have been… We occasionally will get eagles around our place on Hood Canal, and when one is sighted we all flock out to see it. Majestic and beautiful, just as you have captured here. Wishing you a great week ahead Cindy ~
I have friends that live on the canal. It is so beautiful. What a wonderful place to live Randall, with eagles too, perfection!
bonjour CINDY très beau cet aigle
Un détour par chez toi
l’amitié est une bonne confiance
Que l’on partage à deux
Avec une tendresse
Des fous rires
De l’écoute
Des écris sur les pages des blogs
Surtout la santé pour faire que notre amitié ne s’efface pas
Belle journée bises et belle semaine
http://img15.hostingpics.net/pics/445891funny.gif
Merci beaucoup mon ami. J’adore le poeme! Je vous souhaite une merveilleuse semaine!
:star: :star:
Majestic beauty! Long live these wonderful birds!😊
Amen!
Maybe he’s on his world tour, catching the sights, hitting the hot spots. Maybe he’s heard of Wile E Coyote and the Roadrunner. If he catches you, you’re through.
I had a dream about the roadrunner last night. I wonder how Freud would interpert this, especially since he wouldn’t know what a roadrunner was! Maybe the eagle will show up at your place next Brenda. Look for number 83~
I will. I saw an eagle in NC once. He didn’t have a tag. Maybe he’s saying: be brave, remember your goals. Freud would just reduce it to sex or incest.
How exciting, Cindy. Congrats on those great photos, and being able to read his number.
Thanks, I was pretty amazed she let me get so close!