Thanks Jay for posting my sighting so promptly. Here are a few more details.
After getting fairly views of the WESTERN GREBE at East Shore Park (thanks everyone for the RBA posts), I headed around to Stewart Park to do an additional scan. While pointing out the grebe to two visiting birders (Richard and Cindy, I think), all the gulls went up in a frenzied flock and then flocks of noisy geese came across from the golf course area. I immediately thought "eagle" and we stepped back from under the willows to see more sky. Cindy spotted the bird cruising fairly high directly overhead, but when I looked at it I realized that it was an immature GOLDEN EAGLE -- much more unusual for the time and place. It appeared as an all-black (i.e. no mottling on underparts or underwing coverts, very large raptor with striking and distinctive white patches at the base of the primaries (about 2/3 out on the wing) and a sharply demarcated white base to the tail. Shape was right for Golden, with non-wedge-shaped tail slightly shorter than projection of neck and head; wings were very broad and "warped" into a slight dihedral with wingtips held closed and slightly turned up. As it banked in profile (never circled above), I caught a goldish sheen to the neck and head in the bright sun and could see the yellow cere on the bill. The bird continued to cruise toward the southeast, out of sight in the direction of the High School and Cornell campus. KEN Ken Rosenberg Conservation Science Program Cornell Lab of Ornithology 607-254-2412 607-342-4594 (cell) [email protected] On Jan 31, 2012, at 10:20 AM, Jay McGowan wrote: > Ken Rosenberg just called to say he just had an immature GOLDEN EAGLE > fly over Stewart Park and head towards campus. > > -Jay > > -- > Jay McGowan > Macaulay Library > Cornell Lab of Ornithology > [email protected] > > -- > > Cayugabirds-L List Info: > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm > > ARCHIVES: > 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html > 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds > 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html > > Please submit your observations to eBird: > http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ > > -- -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
