![]() ![]() Congress approved a Bald Eagle design for the new country’s federal seal. Eagles are often associated with military and imperial strength in Western Europe, such as Roman, Napoleonic, and certain German emblems. While our eagles mostly steal and scavenge for a living, their burly good looks have inspired symbols of power throughout history. If they shopped in a grocery store, you would find them elbowing smaller customers out of the way at the prepared seafood and meat bar! It is not uncommon at Sunriver to come across a Bald Eagle snatching fish from Ospreys or bullying Red-tailed Hawks to drop a tasty rodent. It is not uncommon to see a fight or two between the generations as the older ones not-so-gently persuade the younger ones to find their territories.īald Eagles can catch their prey, but they excel at muscling their way into a pre-caught meal. Immature Baldies also frequent the neighborhood. If you look up and around you as you walk and boat in the Sunriver area, you are likely to spot a Bald Eagle’s nest with one or more mature adults in the vicinity. Bald Eagles like to nest on piles of sticks high on trees and platforms near water. However, almost daily, you see Bald Eagles here. Golden Eagle sightings in Sunriver are extremely rare. While Bald Eagles breed in and around Sunriver, Central Oregons’ Golden Eagles tend to prefer habitats that are more open and slightly less forested, especially where there are canyons for nesting. Goldens are one of North America’s fastest, most agile, and largest raptors: certainly a match for Disney’s dragons! If you or your kids enjoy dragons in books and movies, stand within ten feet of Aquila and imagine this seven-foot wing spanned bird diving at a hundred and fifty miles an hour to take down a coyote or deer. You instinctively take a breath and step back when you see the size of a Golden’s talons, which can be three inches long. While nothing rivals seeing birds out in the wild, it is incredible to get so close to a formidable bird of prey like Aquila. If you want to see a Golden Eagle in Sunriver, your best bet is to visit Aquila, the Nature Center’s captive Golden, whose fortieth birthday is this March (likely making her the oldest captive eagle in the country). It is hard to tell these immature Baldies from Goldens, but there are many guides to the differences online, for example During their first four years or so, Bald Eagles sport a wide array of mottled brown styles with various white patches. Bald Eagles usually take around four or five years to reach their true white-headed plumage. ![]() ![]() It is a great question! Almost always, the bird is an immature Bald Eagle. ![]() So often, people stop Sunriver birders, then point to a brown-headed eagle and ask if it is a Golden. One historical meaning for the word ‘bald’ is white, and the ancient Greek word leucocephalus means white-headed-no wonder most visitors expect all Sunriver’s Bald Eagles to have white heads. The Bald Eagle reigns over the waterways of Central Oregon. More often, the angry and desperate calls are bird versions of “Stop thief!” as this brawny plunderer takes off with someone else’s catch or young. While walking along the river or beside our lakes, you may hear panicked squawking and frantic splashing, then turn to find a hulking dark shadow lifting away an unlucky duckling or a flailing fish. Even people who tend not to notice birds turn their heads to stare when this species swoops across Sunriver with its talons outstretched, causing fearful birds and animals to scatter and hide. ![]()
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