A Golden Day..6 Golden Eagles of 69 Raptors

Today Was a Golden Day - 69 Raptors

Today was not a day for quantity but a day for quality. All the birds were down low along the Bluffs, straight out over the lake, or just above our heads. 6 Golden Eagles were the highlight of the day. Betty had never seen one before and Peter and I had never seen one up close. Today we had fantastic views of them, one even passed by us a total of 5 times as it searched out the Bluffs. Another highlight was a Turkey Vulture that landed in a tree very close to us. After about a 5 minute break from the 50 km/h wind, he took to the air and swooped down along the fence line just 20 feet above Charlene and Peter's heads. The Rough-legged Hawks, Red-shouldered Hawk, and Northern Goshawks were also very nice to see up close making identification fairly easy for us.

Here is today's final count:

TV - 4
NH - 7
SS - 13
CH - 2
NG - 3
RS - 1
RT - 28
RL - 2
GE - 6
AK - 3

The times of the Golden Eagles were as follows:

GE001 - 11:35am (juvenile)
GE002 - 11:35am (juvenile)
GE003 - 11:42am (juvenile)
GE004 - 11:42am (juvenile)
GE005 - 01:34pm-02:22 (juvenile)

GE006 - 03:20pm (juvenile)

My thanks to Lee, Peter, and Betty for all their help today and also Betty for the hot chocolate, it kept me warm for a few minutes anyway...wow, was it cold out today!!! If any of you are thinking of coming out tomorrow for more raptor action...dress warm for sure and we'll see you there.

Walter

BIGFRANK'S NOTE: My thanks to Walter and the gang for being at the park and tallying things up. Walter managed to get shots of all 6 Golden Eagles. He also got a shot of the first ever Turkey Vulture to land in the park. Congratulations gang on a fantastic day!