The bird that was chosen as our national bird by the founding fathers gets people’s attention. In fact, the sight of one of these large, powerful raptors does more than attract attention - it excites people, even those who claim to have no interest in birds. Bald is a derivation of balde, an Old English word meaning white. The eagle was named for its white feathers, instead of a lack of feathers.
The bald eagle became threatened with extinction in the 1960s due to a host of problems including persistent pesticides, habitat loss, and other problems created by humans. Currently the number of bald eagles has recovered sufficiently so that in June of 1994 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service downgraded the species from endangered to the less urgent status of threatened in all but three of the lower 48 states. The success and increasing populations of the bald eagle is a tribute to what many people working towards a common goal can achieve and showed that the Endangered Species Act works.
Young or immature eagles start out all dark with gold and white flecked plumages. Many an observer has excitedly called an immature bald eagle a golden eagle because it had golden hackles and feathers appearing quite “golden”. Unfortunately, color is not how or what you use to identify eagles. A bit of experience goes a long way in identifying eagles, as is some knowledge of their respective distribution and abundance. These two species are very different in many ways including silhouette, manner of flight and behavior. They even look different from each other, when seen standing on the ice in a spotting scope at a distance of a mile or more. The golden eagle is bow-legged compared to a bald eagle.
At any rate in New England, eagle identification is very easy; it is always a bald eagle until you can prove otherwise. It is even easier in our area - I have seen many hundreds of bald eagles and only 2 golden eagle on the Cape and Islands in some 40 years of “hardcore” birding. The bald eagles that have white heads and tails are mature, at least 5 years old and prospective breeders. These adult birds are the scarcest in our area and most commonly seen during the winter months. The more prolonged and intense the cold, the more eagles drift south into our area from points further north.
Bald eagles have been increasing in all parts of their range, which is most of North America. They have always been abundant in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska the species stronghold. On the Cape and Islands there are always at least a few individuals about, sometimes many more. As the eagle flies, the Cape and Islands is a fairly small area. The closest nesting pair of bald eagles is in southeastern Massachusetts and some 32 nest of bald eagles were known in the state last year. The first Cape Cod attempt, in far too long a time, may be in the offing, in the not too distant future.
Lastly, there have been bald eagles widely reported from all around the region. Several have been frequenting Mashpee/Wakeby Pond in Mashpee, Lake Waququet in Centerville and from many ponds in Falmouth and Brewster. Lone birds have been reported from all over the place, mostly adults. Really cold, windy days with a northwest wind seem to inspire eagles, especially adult birds to go fly about. They can be seen overflying, soaring high in the sky with local red-tailed hawks in close pursuit, anywhere on the Cape and Islands. This past week no fewer than a dozen individuals were reported to this commentator.
