Has anyone ever spotted a golden eagle in the area? I think I saw one at Burke Lake Park earlier this week.

I mistakenly shot an eagle once, I was 12 and i thought it was a crow. Nothing like setting a 12 year old loose with a 12 gauge shot gun!

I have seen several Bald Eagles at Burke Lake. Maybe it was a young Bald Eagle (pictured)
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oh, sorry...wrong golden eagle
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c Wrote:
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> Has anyone ever spotted a golden eagle?..........................you can find them in the northern sun conference.

c Wrote:
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> Has anyone ever spotted a golden eagle in the
> area? I think I saw one at Burke Lake Park
> earlier this week.

That would be an extremely rare and exciting sighting. So rare that I'd wager that it was a juvenile bald eagle.

The few transient goldens that pass through the state stay way the remain at high elevations and follow the ridges. You can spot them in areas deep in southwest VA, like Lee and Tazewell Counties. Highland County is the closest county to Fairfax where you are most likely to see one during Fall - early Spring.

A golden on a lowland migration route east of Appalachians isn't unheard of, but it's extraordinarily rare. And I haven't heard any buzz among birders of any being seen in the coastal plain in a very long time.

How about this bald eagle?

edit by Cary: Pornography removed. History of garbage posts from this user. Banned for 14 days.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/17/2011 02:17PM by Cary.

Need more photos to analyze, birdwatcher.

Thanks to those that posted helpful information. From the FIRST picture I think it must be a juvenile. My bird books shades our area as having them. Wish if they were here they might get rid of some of the deer as it mentions they can feed on animals the size of a small deer!

I wish the one land on my house and chase those two vultures away.

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I beleive I viewed a Golden Eagle very closely on the Goerge Washington Parkway last week. These are VERY large birds with a more brownish color than an immature Bald Eagle. The size is the best givaway.

Also viewed one last year on the Occoqoan.

I am 95% sure there arent any golden eagles around here. I see immature Bald Eagles all the time where I fish on the Potomac and get pretty close in my canoe, they are pretty darn big birds.

The fate of the Golden Eagle...
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A friend and I were biking on the W&OD trail between Leesburg and Purcellville on July 16 and saw what was almost certainly a golden eagle. It was far larger than any hawk I have ever seen and had very darkish brown coloring all over. It flew right over us fairly low and we got a very good look at it. I have seen lots of bald eagles in the Washington DC area and it was in the same size range. I am inclined to think it was a gold rather than an immature bald both because of the size and given the location which seems inland for a bald.

The vast majority of golden Eagles in the U.S.A are found west of the Mississippi River. Very few make it this far east. I think most are seeing immature bald eagles. Bald eagles are 4 years old before thier white head and tail feathers begin to show.

Yesterday morning, November 27, 2014, (Thanksgiving Day), I spotted a golden eagle circling over my backyard in Lovettsville, VA. He was about 30 feet in the air. He circled the yard three times and then headed for the mountains. (Not Fairfax County, but pretty close.)

You mean you saw a large bird and mistakenly took it to be a golden eagle. We have bald eagles and turkey vultures here.