When I was on the way out yesterday I heard some crows going at that. Looking up I saw what they were mobbing on the top of a tall tree something fairly large and tawny. Hoping this could be another diurnal owl sighting I ran back into the house to get my binoculars.
Thankfully it was still there when I got back, and I got to get a much better look at it. It was not an owl. Even at this distance I could tell how big it was (when they are mobbing something crows double as a unit of measurement) Considering the only other hawks I see around here were too small I was pretty sure it was an eagle since the only other raptor that big out here are Ospreys and I could tell this wasn’t one. It had the large beak of an eagle so I’m about ninety percent sure of my identification. The only thing that made me uncertain was the color. As I said it was a light tawny and most of the young eagles I’ve seen were darker, even in mid molts.
Unfortunately the crows chased it off before I could go get my bird book. But still nice. One of the things I like about living in this town is that you can almost take bald eagles for granted. (I’m told there are about fifteen nesting pairs in city limits) but still seeing one from your front door is pretty awesome.
