I rushed out at lunch today to sort through a sizeable collection of gulls that had gathered on Schoolhouse Pond.  Large groups of gulls have been few this fall at the pond.  However, before I could get set up, all the birds flushed, flew around in ever widening circles, and than departed.  I was left muttering to myself about the bad habit that Bald Eagles and Red-Tailed Hawks have of flying over the pond just as I start sorting through the gulls.  I may have even made some inappropriate references to the overabundance and aggressiveness of eagles in these parts.

After the gulls had left, I was left with nothing to do but to look for the "offending" raptor.  Much to my surprise, it was not a Bald Eagle, but an adult Golden Eagle!  The bird was in clear view, soaring about 300 or so feet up.  The golden wash to the head and the buffy undertail coverts were clearly visible, as was the structure of the bird as it soared above.  Definitely a spectacular sight, and one that almost makes up for the now complete lack of gulls.  Without flapping, the eagle continued to glide to the northwest in the general direction of the landfill, where there are undoubtedly more gulls to scare up.  Also present during a quick scan were large numbers of Canada Geese, 28 Northern Shovelers, 1 Coot, and a Great Blue Heron.

Fred Shaffer

Crofton, Anne Arundel