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1. RAK
   Member Profile

   I am not a "birdwatcher" but am familiar with a few, including waterfowl. I live on the water in Fauntleroy and am accustomed to the usuals including eagles of various ages. Yesterday, as well as at least once before some time ago, a pair of raptorish birds flew by over the water. My amateur guess would be falcon or osprey. I don't think they were hawks. They were definitely not eagles. Can anyone enlighten me as to why it might or might not be one or the other?

   Posted 1 year ago #         

2. clark5080
   Member Profile

   

   Osprey here

   

   Posted 1 year ago #         

3. TDe
   Member Profile

   Thursday afternoon I was driving on Alki and saw a large bird flying at the edge of the water. I've seen eagles and osprey a lot and this didn't match either of them. For a brief moment I thought it might be a condor, but shook my head and told myself to "get a grip, that can't be right." I thought I saw a ring of color around its neck and no white on its underside. Since I was driving I couldn't look for long.

   Posted 1 year ago #         

4. herongrrrl
   Member Profile

   Hm. TDe, was your bird flying low along the water? Maybe a great blue heron (wingspans up to 6') or a cormorant (not so big but bigger than a lot of birds out there).

   Juvenile bald eagles are another bird that people often wonder what they are; their wingspan is actually slightly larger than a mature adult bald eagle and they don't have the white head or tail feathers yet.

   Posted 1 year ago #         

5. clark5080
   Member Profile

   

   Ok here is a couple Juvenal Eagle and Heron flying

   

   

   

   

   Posted 1 year ago #         

6. TDe
   Member Profile

   Wasn't a heron, but it could have been a juvenile eagle. Thanks for the cool pics.

   Posted 1 year ago #         

7. RAK
   Member Profile

   Recent sightings were probably Osprey. Thank You. For TDe and all. One or two months ago I saw flying by, just off the shoreline, what I have come to believe was a Turkey Vulture. This might be what you saw. It was a big bird and if the head had had feathers, I would have thought it an Eagle. I swear it did not have feathers, like a vulture. With a little research, I found that it is not unlikely that a turkey vulture would be flying around here. http://www.seattleaudubon.org/birdweb/bird_details.aspx?id=50#wa_map. I was very surprised but what you saw could have been a Turkey Vulture.

   Posted 1 year ago #         

8. StringCheese
   Member Profile

   Got my second osprey sighting here at the pond at High Point today! First sighting was about a week ago. Saw it circling, swoop, and get what looked like a 4-5" orange fish out of the pond. Amazing! I didn't think we had any fish in there... Perhaps someone's poor goldfish they "set free"? Simply fantastic!

   Posted 1 year ago #         

9. RAK
   Member Profile

   BTW condors are vultures. Your first impression might have been right.

   Posted 1 year ago #         

10. herongrrrl
    Member Profile

    Turkey vultures are pretty easy to ID from a distance because their heads are tucked close to their bodies in flight, making them seem like headless birds. They also have a pretty steep V to their wings while soaring, and kind of rock back and forth in the air whereas most raptors soar with flat wings held steady. I haven't seen any in the city recently but they are pretty common in the NW, so certainly not out of the question that you saw one.

    Posted 1 year ago #         

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