asque2000 Posted April 4, 2019 Share Posted April 4, 2019 I’m looking to confirm this raptor seen 4/4 in Pocatello ID 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerri Posted April 4, 2019 Share Posted April 4, 2019 Bald Eagle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asque2000 Posted April 4, 2019 Author Share Posted April 4, 2019 2 minutes ago, Kerri said: Bald Eagle? That would be a slight disappointment... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melierax Posted April 4, 2019 Share Posted April 4, 2019 Looks better for Golden to me. Light nape and lightish tail markings. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asque2000 Posted April 4, 2019 Author Share Posted April 4, 2019 2 minutes ago, Melierax said: Looks better for Golden to me. Light nape and lightish tail markings. That’s what I want to hear! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
millipede Posted April 4, 2019 Share Posted April 4, 2019 9 minutes ago, Melierax said: Looks better for Golden to me. Light nape and lightish tail markings. That's kind of what I wanted to say but I don't feel that I can see enough detail to be certain of any of it. Is that the nape we see? The bird's head would have to be turned just so and, in this picture, I just can't tell. On the other hand... for how DARK the body is, body and wings not showing any marking, I'd expect more white on the head and tail. I don't know if that's really a reliable thing to think about at all... any other pictures perhaps showing different angles/poses? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melierax Posted April 4, 2019 Share Posted April 4, 2019 A Bald Eagle showing that much white on the head would definitely have a ton of white underneath. I'm sticking with Golden. Also, the bird is kinda looking at an angle. When the light shines off a Golden's head the whole nape extending into the throat has a sheen. This is the exact pattern I see here in relation to the bill angle. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bird Nuts Posted April 4, 2019 Share Posted April 4, 2019 Yep, Golden Eagle. Shape, light nape, and brownish base to tail are spot on. Very familiar with them now as we see them every winter here, about as often as we see Bald Eagles. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
millipede Posted April 4, 2019 Share Posted April 4, 2019 I'm not going to argue the ID, in fact mostly support it. But I still say that I can't tell whats' what in the picture... I'm looking at this on a 20" monitor and have even zoomed in... if I look at what probably(actually) is the nape, I can then interpret head position. But I can't look at it and just tell that's the nape or which direction the head is facing. Maybe I'm just not good at looking at pictures with minimal or poor detail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bird Nuts Posted April 4, 2019 Share Posted April 4, 2019 (edited) Here's an example of how the gold patch on the nape wraps around the neck. The nape (and the leading edges of the wings) is surprisingly bright on sunny days. Edited April 4, 2019 by The Bird Nuts 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asque2000 Posted April 4, 2019 Author Share Posted April 4, 2019 5 minutes ago, millipede said: I'm not going to argue the ID, in fact mostly support it. But I still say that I can't tell whats' what in the picture... I'm looking at this on a 20" monitor and have even zoomed in... if I look at what probably(actually) is the nape, I can then interpret head position. But I can't look at it and just tell that's the nape or which direction the head is facing. Maybe I'm just not good at looking at pictures with minimal or poor detail. Also consider head size and tail shape. That’s what made me think Golden at first Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry Friedman Posted April 4, 2019 Share Posted April 4, 2019 3 hours ago, asque2000 said: Also consider head size and tail shape. That’s what made me think Golden at first That's what I noticed. The tail is something like three times the length of the head, right for Golden but not at all for Bald. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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