Wednesday 5 January 2011

What am I Seeing Soaring?

From The Raptor

So, where to start with this one? I have been asked to explain the difference between a golden eagle and a sea eagle. I don’t think it’s the scientific differences but more like how to tell what you are looking at in the sky when out walking, when you get that fleeting glimpse of a big bird either away up high or moving across the hilltops in the distance.

So as I’ve already said, ‘where to start?' Well to begin with from here on in the golden eagle will be a GE and a sea eagle will be a SE. The SE is the larger of the two birds in weight, height and wing span. In both species the female bird is the larger, however a large male GE can be larger than a small female SE and a small female GE can be smaller than a large male SE - it's that simple and as complicated as it gets. Anyway, you can forget all that as it’s not really important for day to day spotting.

Although you cannot use this next fact as a rule it is useful to remember: the SE is not quite as afraid of us as the GE, therefore you could be more likely to get a closer view of a SE than of a GE. On a personal note I have never had a close up view of a GE but have had a SE flying alongside the car just above the trees - the SE not the car. There is a better chance of seeing a SE above water than a GE as the SE eats fish from the water so it's of interest to them whereas the GE does not show too much interest in the water, well I’ve never seen an aquatic rabbit!

Both hunt over land, so here we go again, both birds are much larger than the buzzard, both are much more steady in the sky and will make much larger lazy circles than the buzzard who seems to move faster with more haste than the eagles. The SE has much broader and squarer edged wings than the GE, the GE having much more shape to its wings which narrow towards the body and are more rounded towards the tips than the square ender wings of the SE. The GE has a much longer tail than the SE; this makes the GE tail longer than the head and neck, the SE tail and head being much the same length to look at in flight. The GE tail is rounded whereas the SE tail is wedge shaped, just like a raven's; also the adult SE tail will be fully white, and this is easily picked out in good light. Now I have said the GE has a shorter head and neck than the SE, but the GE also has a golden head and neck giving the bird its name. This also can be picked out if the light is good. The SE has a much larger beak than the GE and again in the adult bird is bright yellow - easily spotted in good light.

So if you are still awake I will go over this again briefly. The GE is smaller, has more shapely wings, has a golden head and neck, has a shorter head and neck compared to the longer darker rounded tail and a smaller beak. The SE is much larger, has squarer, broader wings, a longer head and neck compared to its white wedge-shaped tail, and has a bigger yellow beak.

If this has made any sense then the next time you are out and about with your binos and a large bird swings into view, you should not panic and get all excited but stay calm and think about one of these more obvious points and concentrate on it for a few seconds until you can see the difference and come to your decision - even better if it's two birds that come into view, one of each, then you can compare them against each other, and this happens more often than you might think.

But please remember, whichever of these birds you are looking at, soak it in and enjoy the sight of one of the most magnificent birds to grace the skies of our world, renowned and revered for its beauty, its grace and its mysticism by the Red Indians, the Aztecs, the Greeks, the Romans, the Cossacks, and the Egyptians. In modern day writing, the letter ‘a’ is adapted from the form of a crouching eagle; and think of some national flags and nations that depict the eagle as their national emblem, such as the Americans. Finally, think of our own country where some people would see every one of these magnificent birds blasted out of the skies, and feel ashamed for them.

Now for a test. Identify each of the following, and send your answers as a 'Comment':

PICTURE A:
PICTURE B:
PICTURE C:

9 comments:

  1. Mmmmmm Thanks very much for that information - I still find it difficult but I reckon:

    A is a buzzard
    B is a Golden Eagle
    C is a Sea Eagle

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  2. I've heard sea eagles referred to as a "flying barn door" - ie huge and rectangular! Very helpful advice for those of us who do get confused - thanks. Though not many of either SEs or GEs in West Cornwall... but we do visit Scotland as often as we can.

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  3. Thankyou so much for the information! Not sure if this is right, but i will have a go...
    A is a Golden Eagle
    B is a Buzzard
    C is a sea Eagle

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  4. Richard & Natalie
    Having just spent Christmas in Kilchoan we had many opportunities to test our ID skills. Ardnamurchan has a huge Buzzard population and I would image that lots of visitors mistake them for eagles. Having said that we had eagle sightings in double figures including great views of 2 golden eagles perched on a cliff edge near the road at camus (views so good we could see the golden nape) and spectaculary close flight views of Juv Sea Eagle over the bay at Camus. Another identifying feature can be if the bird is tagged which almost certainly identifies the bird as a sea eagle. A Sea Eagle is huge and if you see one you will know it, if your in doubt it will be a buzzard or if your lucky a Golden eagle.

    Looking at the pictures I would say:

    a: Golden Eagle (the bill, coluring and primaries identifying it).

    b: Buzzard (tricky one, but looking at the under
    colourings and small head)

    c: Sea Eagle (its huge and looks like a flying barn door)

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  5. The correct answers are -

    A Golden Eagle
    B Buzzard
    C Sea Eagle

    Well done to Becky and Richard & Natalie.

    But I do think that telling the difference between a golden eagle and a buzzard at distance is terribly difficult, whatever The Raptor may say!

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  6. Totally agree Jon, I've been out with some experienced birders who've mistaken buzzards for eagles. If i'm not sure I always go with Buzzard.

    Richard & Natalie

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  7. Jon,

    just wondering if you can ID this?

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulsammonds/4699984014/

    thanks,
    Paul

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    Replies
    1. I sent the picture to our local bird expert, The Raptor, and he says, "A great photo and I would say a young sea eagle, check the tail and the lack of any black band around the tips. Even in adulthood you should see the remains of that very distinctive black band which the goldies have as younsgters. Also the uniformity of the colouration of the under wings, more light and dark in the goldie, and also the lack of any form of golden nape. So most definately a young sea eagle."

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    2. Thanks for that Jon and thanks to The Raptor.
      I was having great difficulty trying to distinguish between the two I suppose mainly as it is a young bird. I probably made the assumption that it was a Golden Eagle being 30 miles inland! Other eagles I've seen usually pick up on my presence and move on quickly while this guy continued about its business. This also ties in with what The Raptor said about being less timid. Recently read that there have been quite a few releases around Fife, which is not so far away (as the eagle flies). Thanks again.

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