Comments on: Let The Eagle Soar https://gregladen.com/blog/2009/08/26/let-the-eagle-soar-2/ Wed, 02 Sep 2009 19:56:48 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.6 By: Greg Laden https://gregladen.com/blog/2009/08/26/let-the-eagle-soar-2/#comment-543187 Wed, 02 Sep 2009 19:56:48 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2009/08/26/let-the-eagle-soar/#comment-543187 Ron: Summer bald eagles have not been counted in Mississippi in recent decades, but they have been counted in Alabama west of Tuscaloosa. I suspect that the lack of counts for northern Mississippi is that people havn’t been looking. Most bald eagles are up north more in the summer, but plenty are not. Lots of them stay if Florida year round, for instance.

]]> By: Rod Childers https://gregladen.com/blog/2009/08/26/let-the-eagle-soar-2/#comment-543186 Wed, 02 Sep 2009 19:47:32 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2009/08/26/let-the-eagle-soar/#comment-543186 I live in north Mississippi and people swear there are two bald eagles nesting year round. Is this possible? I’ve had someone tell me it’s a bird that look just like an eagle but it’s something else. What else could it be?

]]> By: Greg Laden https://gregladen.com/blog/2009/08/26/let-the-eagle-soar-2/#comment-543185 Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:17:21 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2009/08/26/let-the-eagle-soar/#comment-543185 Brenda: Well, we might be looking at the same eagles then! Hey, see you at Patrick’s some time! (If you were there Saturday night we were the giant party of 12 in the bar area with the infant. I don’t know what times we were there but it was pretty much fourth through 9th inning)

]]> By: Brenda Gilsrud https://gregladen.com/blog/2009/08/26/let-the-eagle-soar-2/#comment-543184 Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:12:37 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2009/08/26/let-the-eagle-soar/#comment-543184 FINALLY!! Someone else has seen the Golden Eagle besides us. Our in-laws are from the Fish and Wildlife service, and also Three Rivers Park District. We all say that there ARE Golden Eagles in Longville. (We are on Girl Lake, not far as the Eagle Flies from Horseshoe Island 🙂

]]> By: wfr https://gregladen.com/blog/2009/08/26/let-the-eagle-soar-2/#comment-543183 Thu, 27 Aug 2009 09:32:13 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2009/08/26/let-the-eagle-soar/#comment-543183 The beeping sound you hear is the “audio variometer,” an instrument that tells you your vertical speed without requiring you to look down at a gauge. This allows you to optimize your climb while looking out.

The sound isn’t usually intrusive. The microphone in the video was probably too close to the variometer speaker.

And, of course, you can turn it off if you really want silence.

]]> By: Greg Laden https://gregladen.com/blog/2009/08/26/let-the-eagle-soar-2/#comment-543182 Thu, 27 Aug 2009 09:00:08 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2009/08/26/let-the-eagle-soar/#comment-543182 wfr: Do sail planes really sound like that? I would think one would prefer silence. The wind.

It would be cool if the eagles took it down.

People with too much time … and eagles … on their hand:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7DeIA_b7V4

(Good example of golden eagle “Oh shit” vocalization)

]]> By: Greg Laden https://gregladen.com/blog/2009/08/26/let-the-eagle-soar-2/#comment-543181 Thu, 27 Aug 2009 08:42:18 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2009/08/26/let-the-eagle-soar/#comment-543181 Those size ranges are for the entire species, and the greater range for bald probably reflect the bald eagle’s greater diversity in habitat. The Minnesota bald eagles are average to smaller than average in size, small in contrast to bald eagles in, say Alaska. I would say that larger size for a golden is not a definitive mark but it certainly is a clue, here. That was true in NY as well.

]]> By: wfr https://gregladen.com/blog/2009/08/26/let-the-eagle-soar-2/#comment-543180 Thu, 27 Aug 2009 08:32:02 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2009/08/26/let-the-eagle-soar/#comment-543180 There goes one now:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQnGvqXLrJQ

]]> By: psweet https://gregladen.com/blog/2009/08/26/let-the-eagle-soar-2/#comment-543179 Thu, 27 Aug 2009 08:22:47 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2009/08/26/let-the-eagle-soar/#comment-543179 At our hawkwatch in NE Illinois, we get anywhere from 1 to 11 (last year) Golden Eagles each season. Hawk Ridge in Duluth gets considerably more — you can check their numbers online. So they do come through MN.

As far as the first bird your daughter spotted, that’s a bit of a puzzle. You stated the the bird was much bigger than the other Eagles. That actually suggests that it was a California Condor. (I know — impossible. I only mention it to illustrate the size differences.) Wheeler lists Golden’s wingspan as 72 – 87 inches, and Bald’s as 71 – 96 inches.

]]> By: Anne Gilbertcc https://gregladen.com/blog/2009/08/26/let-the-eagle-soar-2/#comment-543178 Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:37:32 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2009/08/26/let-the-eagle-soar/#comment-543178 I saw a golden eagle once. In the mountains of southern Oregon. And I’ll nevcer forget it! It was huge! I haven’t seen one since, though they’re fairly common around cherce in the wilder parts of Washington State. I have seen a fair number of bald eagles, whicch are themselves pretty impressive. And a lot more common. Some of them like certain lakeside properties icn acnd aroucnd Seattle.
Anne G

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