Came out of entry point 16 on Friday after nine days on Boulder Bay. I will post a trip report later this week with pics. On our third day, four of the six in our group saw what we believe was a Golden Eagle. The bird was only about 25 yards away at its closest point and was so immense it could have eaten a Bald Eagle for a snack. As you can imagine, we were all amazed.

When we returned to Ely, we struck up a conversation with a patron at the Boathouse who happens to be a bird watcher. He told us that our sighting indeed would be rare as usually Golden Eagles do not venture east of the rockies. Our description fit the bill so now I'm wondering if anyone else has had a Golden Eagle encounter in the Bdub?

ive seen 2 in quetico. range

Thanks for the range map kanoes!

We believe we saw one on aug. 9 on the north side of Lake One. It was huge and the Bald Eagles were keeping a close watch on it.

More likely an immature- but full size- bald eagle, (bald eagles don't get white plumage until sexually mature- five years old) . The size discrepancy between bald and golden eagles is not significant. The easiest way to tell the difference between a golden and an immature bald is that the golden eagle's legs are covered by feathers while the lower bald eagle legs are bare.

I am sure we saw one in the Q, on our Man Chain trip, It was an Eagle and it was not a Bald Eagle.

SunCatcher

let me look a bit

I can confirm two on Moose Lake. We saw them on AUG 18. They hang on a small island just inside the BWCA. The outfitter said they have been there for months. I took several pics as we wizzed by but they are blurry ~ this was the best of bunch

The thing is golden eagles are upland birds, tending to prey on mammals and some birds usually in an open environment. The bald eagle is a marine bird, usually found close to water and much of it's diet -fish and ducks- is marine dependent.

i stand by my 2 Q sightings.

Here's a quick reference

Hard to tell for sure Boji, but looks to me like your eagles don't have "feathered tarsi", making them immature bald.

quote Banksiana: "Here's a quick reference


Hard to tell for sure Boji, but looks to me like your eagles don't have "feathered tarsi", making them immature bald."

I have no clue.... I was just going by what the Tow driver said... but they did look different for what thats worth

Havent seen one in the bdub, but have seen one numerous times along the St Croix river near Grantsburgh . Im very familiar with what they look like in person and the one I see is a Golden For sure .

quote Banksiana: "


Hard to tell for sure Boji, but looks to me like your eagles don't have "feathered tarsi", making them immature bald."

I'm pretty sure nobody could tell from that pic lol

I have seen Goldens just north of Grand Marais at old logging camps, lots of critters out in the open at those camps. I've seen many Golden's out in South Dakota at the prairie dog towns and can tell them apart pretty well and would agree, most seen in the Bdub are mostly Balds but there could be one from time to time.

Hawk Ridge raptor count

Golden Eagle

As I mentioned, the raptor we saw dwarfed a bald eagle. Not really sure what else it could be.

Bald eagles and Goldens are basically the same size. more information .

Immature bald eagles and golden eagles are virtually identical. Bald eagles are common in the canoe country, golden eagles are rare. If you saw a bird that looked like a golden it was probably an immature bald.

Yes, if you see an eagle in the BW without a white head, you assume it's an immature bald eagle. Banksiana mentions the legs; my Sibley guide to birds talks about a golden nape. Size is for all intents and purposes identical.

There is a very understandable human tendency for people to assume what they see is exotic and rare. Usually not though.

Golden Eagles are uncommon but some folks act like youve seen a ufo if you tell them you see one. Minnesota and the bwca and quetico are absolutely in their range at certain times of year. Believe it or not there is a very distinct difference between an Immature bald eagle and a Golden Eagle, size is the first difference because Goldens are huge, and if you can get close enough theres a major difference in the nape feathers and also the underside pigmentation and pattern. Like I mentioned above, I havent seen one in the bwca though Ive seen hundreds of immature bald eagles there, but I have many times seen one along the Northern StCroix river, and believe it or not, it is a Golden, not an immature bald . This is what they look like up close Golden Eagle

Basspro- there is not a significant size difference between Golden Eagles and Bald Eagles. Sexually immature bald eagles are full size.

quote Banksiana: "Basspro- there is not a significant size difference between Golden Eagles and Bald Eagles. Sexually immature bald eagles are full size."

I’m no expert on birds of prey but I know enough to know that eagles can vary greatly in size depending on their home region, a bald eagle from the southern US could be half the size of one from Alaska, the whole Bermanns rule thing. With that said the Northern Canadian population of Goldens can be very large birds and if a few of those happened to be hanging out down here they would contrast greatly compared to a Mid American Bald eagle, could easily be double the size in some cases. I don’t know the exact number for avg size of Canadian Goldens but you would really need to know that and then the avg size of the MN birds to be able to say that, you can’t just say they are the same size because they are both capable of getting that big. Anyone whos seen a mature Alaskan Bald eagle knows they are monsters compared to the little guys we see here in MN.


I agree with Basspro, it’s not like seeing a UFO, they are out there, the Hawk Ridge Numbers above show it, I have seen them and suspect the one I’ve seen is a resident there because I’ve seen it two times years apart. I got a really good look at it the first time, I was small game hunting and it actually stole the squirrel I shot, that fact that it didn’t care about the gun shot also leads me to believe it’s a resident as the area is popular with locals for target practice and what not.

I'm not saying there can't be a significant size difference between individual birds, my point is that difference in size is not an indicator for species of eagle.

quote Banksiana: "I'm not saying there can't be a significant size difference between individual birds, my point is that difference in size is not an indicator for species of eagle."

Further, size is very difficult to judge in the field and thus isn't considered a reliable field mark, unless you have the two species in question side by side.

This would especially be true I. Places where there No references like over the water.

quote Banksiana: "I'm not saying there can't be a significant size difference between individual birds, my point is that difference in size is not an indicator for species of eagle."

Not an absolute indicator but Id bet on avg the Golds in northern MN are a bit larger than the avg Bald in MN, I will try and find the info but haven’t had a ton of luck yet. I just know from my first hand experience that every time I see an adult Gold I come away thinking “wow what a massive bird” I never get that from MN Balds, even when they are 50ft away tearing my Walleye scraps apart.

At any rate nobody knows what it was so no use in arguing it, yes they are misidentified and yes they do actually exist here, anything beyond that is going to be pure speculation.

We see Golden Eagles out West in the summer but have only seen them in the winter in Wisconsin and Minnesota. If you see an eagle eating fish you can be assured it is a bald eagle.

I saw a huge Golden once. Turned out to be a chickadee that was really close to me.
Seriously, I have seen a few here in Minnesota.

quote Freddy: " If you see an eagle eating fish you can be assured it is a bald eagle. "

I'm pretty sure they will eat fish if its available.

The National Eagle Center in Wabasha is a great weekend get-away. They have Bald and Golden Eagles on site and have experts who lead field trips, conduct raptor talks, and help with identification of both. A good time is February and March because Goldens winter along the rocky bluffs.

quote Banksiana: "Basspro- there is not a significant size difference between Golden Eagles and Bald Eagles. Sexually immature bald eagles are full size."

I know they are capable of reaching the same size, my point was, the Goldens that I saw were significantly larger than an immature bald eagle, (significantly) and the fact that someone is telling me im not capable of Identifying a species of bird is insulting. Ive seen the thing up close, it is a golden eagle, Ive seen them at the raptor center, ive seen them in Labrador and I know exactly what they look like, if you cant distinguish them from an immature bald eagle thats your problem .

quote fitgers1: "I saw a huge Golden once. Turned out to be a chickadee that was really close to me.
Seriously, I have seen a few here in Minnesota. "

LOL

hawk and eagle silhouettes in flight

According to this linked site, The Hawk Migration Association of North America Golden eagles have smaller heads and fly with a slight dihedral or up turn of the end of the wings.

I like eagles.

Basspro- I did not say you could not tell them apart. What i said is that size is not an indicator
The statement "size is the first difference because Goldens are huge" is inaccurate. I apologize if I offended you, it was not my intent, my intent was to shed light on a common misconception.

The eagle center in wabasha is a nice day trip from the twin cities. I suggest only making the trip during a warm winter day or during migration. Unless of course the eagles are taking the greyhound bus south, then only go on a nice winter day.

Can o worms open! After much deliberation I'm going to have to stick with my initial Golden Eagle claim. Mostly in part due to the size difference. No, it was not over open water, it was in a tree and took off from its perch, so I do have a reference point for size. Secondly, All of us in our group have seen plenty of Bald Eagles, adult, immature as well as half way in between. Our sighting matched none of those.

Thank you for all the responses.

Well I think we can all agree, when you do see one, they are ubber cool

I have lived on the Miss River all my life and have seen millions of bald eagles both adult and juvenile. I've seen goldens in NW Ontario, and saw another golden last spring along the Miss River in Genoa, WI while the hubby and I were walleye fishing. Very clear white wing patches on the undersides of the wings. So very definitely not an immature bald eagle. It was actually being dive bombed by a pair of bald eagles as it was flying directly over their nest. A very cool sighting to say the least. Goldens are increasing in numbers along the Miss between MN and WI. I have no doubt that someone could see one in the BW.

quote Ragged: "Well I think we can all agree, when you do see one, they are ubber cool





"

Totally agree .

slight dihedral upturn!
slight dihedral upturn!
slight dihedral upturn!
slight dihedral upturn!
c'mon everybody!
slight dihedral upturn!

That's the first time I'e ever heard Brad get pissed. I now believe in Goldens.

oh, ive seen brad very pissed before ;-)

quote kanoes: "oh, ive seen brad very pissed before ;-)"

One time at band camp.

quote lundojam: "slight dihedral upturn!
slight dihedral upturn!
slight dihedral upturn!
slight dihedral upturn!
c'mon everybody!
slight dihedral upturn!

That's the first time I'e ever heard Brad get pissed. I now believe in Goldens."

:)

quote realandrea: "


I like eagles."

Golden Eagles vs. Wolves

quote chipaddler: " Golden Eagles vs. Wolves "

So not a fair fight...

Man vs. Golden Eagle

The USM Golden Eagles logo, this is what they look like, otherwise why would they put this on their helmets?

Interesting to hear about their range in different times of the year, we say a pair of them while snowmobiling in nortern wi a few years ago one of the local guys said that there is a pair that had been seen regularly in the area.

Bump.

I just got back from staying on an island on LLC near Warrior Hill. I believe two golden eagles lived on the island. There were two massive brown eagles and two smaller bald eagles that flew around our site quite regularly. The brown eagles never hung out with the bald eagles. Other than their size difference, their calls seemed different as well. Anyone else see these birds? They were amazing.

Immature bald eagles are actually larger than adult mature bald eagles, as explained to me by a very serious bird watcher. Their bones shrink as they mature, and thus they get smaller.

That would make more sense than 2 sets of Eagles sharing an island. It was so awesome to see them fly over us all day.

Here is a good article about the differences:

Bald vs Golden - Audubon Society

I have seen many Golden eagles out west and I have seen one in Northern Wis.

I live about 150 yards from a bald eagle nest and see and hear them almost every day. I've noticed the adults and juvies make different sounds. The young ones - even when they fledge, make a more crying, whining sound like they are hungry. The adults, at least when they are in the area near the nest, make more of a chattering sound. No idea about eagles sharing an island (suppose it depends how big it is among other things), but whenever I've seen another adult or immature (possibly from prior year) show up near this nest, the resident eagles fly up and drive them off.

Aldy1: "Bump.


I just got back from staying on an island on LLC near Warrior Hill. I believe two golden eagles lived on the island. There were two massive brown eagles and two smaller bald eagles that flew around our site quite regularly. The brown eagles never hung out with the bald eagles. Other than their size difference, their calls seemed different as well. Anyone else see these birds? They were amazing. "

Two years ago on Iron my dad swears he saw a Golden perched in a tree near our campsite. He was shocked at the immensity of it. I was gone on a day trip and when I returned he wouldn’t stop talking about the size of this Eagle. I thought maybe it was a juvenile Bald Eagle, but maybe I was wrong?

Tony

Wow,this is cool. This forum started 7 years ago.
Seen many Goldens in eastern Montana. Seen many immature bald eagles in Minnesota that look like Goldens. But no reason a few Goldens would not stop for a visit.

Ok...not my finest camera work...

After reading through this post I recalled seeing a large bird on LLC in July 2012 that looked something like a Golden Eagle. Here's the (shaky) video: YouTube Footage of Bird

Baby baldy or Goldy?