One of the few raptors seen last week was a flyover eagle pictured below:
The bird is dark, nearly all dark on top. But underneath there is apparent whitish mottling. Specimens such as this often go reported as golden eagles. It’s not. It’s a subadult bald eagle.
How old is this bird? I’m not sure. The cere (the soft area around the base of the bill) is yellow and the bill only shows a dark tip. I’d guess a second-year bird.
