Bald Eagle

Description:

As pictured...brown body, white head and tail. Males and females have the same appearance and plumage.

Habitat:

We visited Pahranaget National Wildlife Refuge, as the bald eagles are migrating south, usually arriving in Pahranagat in late December. At the time we visited, there were 3 adults and two juveniles. There are several lakes fed by springs in an area in which the Mojave Desert meets the Great Basin Desert, and this is a stopover in migration of waterfowl and raptors. The eagles move further south in February.

Notes:

While photographing this spotting, the term "eagle eye" was well demonstrated. Eagles have vision that is five times more powerful than humans. Stated simply, specialized vision cells called fovea are concentrated in both human and eagle eyes. Humans have 200,000 cones per millimeter...whereas eagles have approximately 1,000,000. As I photographed and watched...the eagle spotted a relatively small fish in the water approximately 200 yards from shore. It took off and snagged the fish in short order. No way would I have known the fish was out there swimming close to the surface.