Off Topic Golden or bald eagle

WWhat kind of bird?

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Fisherboy said:
My Avatar picture is a juvenile bald eagle taken 2 years ago at Bay Frt Park ice fishing.
May be staying away from that area for a long time now with the shit leak from Hamilton.
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Nice pic, beauty bird.
 
@jerk bait... According to baldeagleinfo.com Bald eagles are larger than golden eagles in average height and wingspan, but there isn't much difference in average weight. They say the quickest way to tell the difference is by the feathered tarsi whether a Bald or Golden eagle. In the photo you took it's very difficult to see any real distinguishing characteristics but you were the one who saw it clearly so would know best from your own recollection. This is interesting stuff so hopefully these photos will better help you determine if it was actually a Golden.

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Juvenile Golden Eagle and Juvenile Bald Eagle
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Adult Golden Eagle and Bald Eagle
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Wave Runner said:
@jerk bait... According to baldeagleinfo.com Bald eagles are larger than golden eagles in average height and wingspan, but there isn't much difference in average weight. They say the quickest way to tell the difference is by the feathered tarsi whether a Bald or Golden eagle. In the photo you took it's very difficult to see any real distinguishing characteristics but you were the one who saw it clearly so would know best from your own recollection. This is interesting stuff so hopefully these photos will better help you determine if it was actually a Golden.

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Juvenile Golden Eagle and Juvenile Bald Eagle
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Adult Golden Eagle and Bald Eagle
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Great pics. The feet certainly looked like a golden. Markings didnt really resemble either ( to make this more confusing). I have seen full grown balds here and this was much bigger , bulkier and heavier. The wing span was wider than any bald I saw . I am kicking myself now for not getting better pics
 
jerk bait said:
Great pics. The feet certainly looked like a golden. Markings didnt really resemble either ( to make this more confusing). I have seen full grown balds here and this was much bigger , bulkier and heavier. The wing span was wider than any bald I saw . I am kicking myself now for not getting better pics
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Go on Ontario Birds on Facebook and post your Bald Eagle pic, most people are very knowledgeable birders on this site and its not a fishing message board .Go fishing. Give it up.
 
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That is definitely a bald. You can clearly see white mottling in the neck that is very common in years 2-3. The tarsal feathers certainly don't look to come down to the foot but the picture isn't great.

Yes goldens frequent this area. You often see them come down when the cold weather hits. I don't think they breed in our neck of the woods.

Great encounter. Had a couple above me when I was out deer hunting new year's eve. Beautiful birds.
 
anonymoose said:
That is definitely a bald. You can clearly see white mottling in the neck that is very common in years 2-3. The tarsal feathers certainly don't look to come down to the foot but the picture isn't great.

Yes goldens frequent this area. You often see them come down when the cold weather hits. I don't think they breed in our neck of the woods.

Great encounter. Had a couple above me when I was out deer hunting new year's eve. Beautiful birds.
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There was a Golden Eagle nest on the west side of 59 just south of the Otterville ridge years ago. It was on a buddy's farm. That was quite a while ago though.
 
Stick said:
There was a Golden Eagle nest on the west side of 59 just south of the Otterville ridge years ago. It was on a buddy's farm. That was quite a while ago though.
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That's funny that's almost exactly where this was. Just north of delhi and a tad east of 59 about inline with otterville
 
jerk bait said:
Great pics. The feet certainly looked like a golden. Markings didnt really resemble either ( to make this more confusing). I have seen full grown balds here and this was much bigger , bulkier and heavier. The wing span was wider than any bald I saw . I am kicking myself now for not getting better pics
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Again, bald and golden are practically the same size. I think you’re just thinking the bird was bigger than it actually was and you have yourself convinced it was a golden. Using the center line for scale, it just looks like an average size bald eagle.
 
ch312 said:
Again, bald and golden are practically the same size. I think you’re just thinking the bird was bigger than it actually was and you have yourself convinced it was a golden. Using the center line for scale, it just looks like an average size bald eagle.
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This was bigger than the afult bald eagles I have seen here at my place. 20 percent bigger maybe and noticable white head. Talked to some bird guys and they dont think it's a young bald. Watching it fly away I got a much better look and it doenst look like a bald. Its roughly the same location as a known golden nest. Just putting obvious pcs together. I couldnt really care what it was because it was cool regardless but it certainly seems not to be a bald.
 
Clearly a bald eagle??? You must have better eye sight than I do. From those photos I don't know how anyone could possibly determine that with any certainty. ;)
 
Go on Ontario Birds on Facebook and be prepared to be told by several well informed birders that this is a Bald Eagle, give it up FFS. Here is a pic i took of a RTHA eating a possum, its eating road kill and don't look like a Golden, go sharpen some hooks or re string some rods.
 

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Suprised this thread is still going. Anyway, a further note on size.....The bird pictured is somewhere between 20-24" tall. An adult Bald eagle is gonna be larger than that. As stated, size doesn't at all indicate Golden or Bald but this isn't a "huge" bird by any means and would be too small to be an adult of either species IMO.

Josh
 
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big rod said:
Go on Ontario Birds on Facebook and be prepared to be told by several well informed birders that this is a Bald Eagle, give it up FFS. Here is a pic i took of a RTHA eating a possum, its eating road kill and don't look like a Golden, go sharpen some hooks or re string some rods.
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What does a Hawk have to do with anything? Do you need some hooks sharpened? Do you know how to sharpen hooks ??? We see hawks eating roadkill everyday what's your point? Based on first hand account and past experience I personally, ( along with others) dont think this was a young bald.(,too bulky and bigger than the adults that were hanging
around my place ,) Does it make me right or wrong? Who cares? I can show you how to sharpen your hooks but your gonna have to string your own rod!
 
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