ML644325029

Observation details

Initially, I thought I had observed a Golden Eagle because it was large, had a dihedral angle to its wings in flight, and had long wings that "bulged" in the mid-portion from front edge to back edge. Further, the back, the proximal wings, and neck seemed to glint a golden brown color while the distal portions of the wings were blackish. In addition, there was an obvious white patch at the base of the tail. Initially, I thought that white patch was much more prominent and well-demarcated than on a juvenile Bald Eagle. But then, I observed the bird from quite distance from my backyard. Also, it was pointed out that the head was larger and protruding farther forward from the shoulders than in a Golden Eagle. So, changed my initial ID to a juvenile Bald Eagle. The bird was soaring north of my house toward Fayetteville. I hoped that it would continue south to my yard but I lost track of it. A crow harassed it for a very short time. Possibly migrating.