Bald Eagles at Lake Coeur d'Alene, ID

http://www.id.blm.gov/eagle_watch/index.htm

I went up here today to check them out, and let me say, these are magnificent creatures. Up to a 7 foot wingspan, 12 lbs and 3 feet long, they are some of the biggest birds I've ever seen in flight. Flight is an understatement, when they get up and going, they soar like hawks and falcons, effortlessly tipping their wings to catch thermals and swoop and dive - almost like they are playing. Simply awesome! I saw 5 or 6 different ones, they are kind of hard to spot. I plan on going back early in the morning sometime in the next few days with my tripod to see if I can get some better pics and watch them fish in the lake.

My pics didn't come out the greatest (digital camera through a telescope) but a couple are ok. Enjoy!

george?

Yeah, quite the magnificent bird.....I live a few miles from a winter nesting site....take the kids there every year to heck them out.

One year we had one swoop off the cliffs to go fish in the river and he flew right over us at about 30', that was cool!!!!

hey buddy if you can get me one of those feathers
i would be in great debt to you

ive been on the hunt for an eagle feather for many years
i almost got arrested at the zoo trying to break in the eagle encounter

Hey the most amazing place to eagle-watch is on the docks at Dutch Harbor AK down by the crab canneries.... so many of the birds all in one place... adults and juvies all together... they are really social creatures and you'd never know it in the lower 48 because you rarely see more than 2 together... but a whole flock hops around and chirps and chitters to each other kind of like crows, but more musical. They are so amazing!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by friendowl

hey buddy if you can get me one of those feathers
i would be in great debt to you

ive been on the hunt for an eagle feather for many years
i almost got arrested at the zoo trying to break in the eagle encounter

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IIRC , its a $5000 fine and 1 year in jail if you are caught with a bald eagle feather - So you are out of luck. The only people who can collect them legally are Indians, and there is a whole ceremony and ritual that goes along with it.

Stinky - I hope to make it to AK soon - its the only state of the 50 I haven't been to and it looks like its one of the prettiest ones. Hard to route business up there though, It'll have to be a vacation.

Yeah it was a business trip for me... kind of a long one... I'd love to go back as a tourist but man the flights are expensive, especially to Dutch, you have to pretty much go from SeaTac to Anchorage to shit what's that little tinky refueling island, I want to say King Salmon? uh... to Unalaska... the plane service is shall we say interesting...
It's amazing what pic qulaity you got through the lens there! I love the one of the eagle calling. They get so puffy when they want to talk!