[Bristol-Birds] Re: Juvenile Eagle
- From: "Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "'Bristol Bird Club'" <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "'buchanan bird club'" <bcbirdclub@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 3 Jul 2014 23:02:10 -0400
Peggy,
From what I see in the photos, this bird appears to be a second year bird
which means it hatched in 2013 and not
this year. The mottling (the white scattered throughout the bird's
feathering) is not usually found in first year birds
(in this case hatched in 2014). Our first year birds, or what we call
juveniles, would be generally dark brown over
most of the body The bill would have very little yellow or straw color as
seen in this bird. So the fact this is a young
eagle is no proof or evidence it hatched this year (2014) near where it was
found (Russell County). Since our eagle
population is believed to be sedentary and not migratory, we may not be able
to rule out this bird having been
fledged in Russell County or surrounding areas in 2013. It is curious that
it does not appear full-bodied or robust
as many eagles usually do. I don't know that it is becoming emaciated but
that is a consideration. The body seems
much to slim and elongated for most health eagles. Even our locally-fledged
eagles, which are still very near where
they nested this season, have "baby fat" and are very robust looking. They
appeared that way in the nest before
branching or fledging. Most appear as large and health as their parents. I
suppose it would be little more than a
long-shot guess as to where this bird may have fledged. Thanks for sharing
the great photos and account with all
of us.
I hope this helps.
Wallace Coffey
Bristol, TN
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