Bald Eagle or....

[WTP07]

Ok: 1st: sorry for no pic, I'm at the boat and forgot my cable to xfer pics. I will pick one up tonight.
2nd: haven't posted in quite some time...did I mention the boat? New to me...another hobby that is eating up my time and $ at a ridiculous rate.

My daughters told me there was an injured eagle on the other side of the marina, so, thinking it was a seagull that they had mis-identified, I went to have a look. Definitely NOT a seagull. GIANT hooked beak, webbed feet, grey back, white head, black feathers at the tips of the wings.

This poor guy had a pile of fishing line wrapped around both feet. It was cutting pretty deep into the legs, but I managed to get it all free.

Called a raptor rescue organization and they came and got him this am.

Any guesses on ID before I get the pics up tonight? Loupey? You're the king at this.....what's your best guess?

Bird was about 25% bigger than your average seagull. Didn't get a wingspan measurement, as I didn't know if he was injured there or not, and didn't want to stress him any more than he already was.

Cheers,

Randy.

[Loupey]

Hi, Randy - nice to see you're still around.

Paulnj is the bird-king but I'll say that it sounds a lot like you're describing (except the part of the webbed feet) an Osprey or a male Northern Harrier.

Looking forward to the pixs.


Ironically, I've been doing very little boating since I got back into photography. Perhaps putting in 55 gallons of fuel at a time had something to do with it Word of advice - never fill up at the marina (about 20% more expensive there).

[Canon_Bob]

I was thinking Osprey as well. They don't have webbed feet, though.

[WTP07]

Card reader is coming up to the boat tomorrow...will post pics then....I am sure someone is going to be able to ID it in seconds once I do.

The beak was very long, about 3 1/2", with a sharp 90 turn down at the end. No bands or stripes on the beak, just a slight reddish tinge underneath in the middle.
Frustrating without pics I know...

[Canon_Bob]

This is an Osprey. Does it look like this?

[WTP07]

Not even close.

I looked on Cornell's site, but really didn't see anything close there either...

[Canon_Bob]

We'll have to wait on the images I guess. Looking forward to it!

[WTP07]

Now thinking it IS a gull, just a VERY large one, with a gigantic beak. I saw another one this aft on the dock, and it looks much like the ring-billed gulls, just much larger, and with that huge schnozz.

[WTP07]

Finally got some pics downloaded....


This is the foot after I got the fishing line off...


The legs with the fishing line attached.


I assume this is some kind of gull at this point, but not sure which. It's HUGE!!!!!

Still haven't heard back from the rescue center...


Cheers,

Randy.

[SmartWombat]

Yep, that's a gull alright.
Looks like a Greater Black-Backed gull.
But it's probably a related US species.

[Kajuah]

that's most definately a gull, some of them can become quite large, like ravens.

it looks to be a very elderly one by the condition of the feathers, too, and the thickness of them

[Canon_Bob]

Looks like an Albatross. Any shots of the body?

[WTP07]

Here is a pic of another bird, same species though. It is significantly bigger than the ring-billed gulls around it, about 25-50% or so.



Randy.

[Kajuah]

Looks like an Albatross. Any shots of the body?

aren't they extinct?..

[Canon_Bob]

aren't they extinct?..

No. Several of the subspecies are endangered, but there are still plenty of them in the Southern Hemisphere. It seemed like a possible guess based on the "huge" size being mentioned, as an Albatross is significantly larger than a gull.

[Frog]

Yup! That's a seagull. Maybe this type doesn't visit your area often.

[WTP07]

maybe not, but this thing is like Scwarzzagull! Or maybe Gullvester Gullone!...HUGE.

Gullzilla maybe??

[Frog]

I believe you have a herring gull http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herring_Gull

[AgingEyes]

According to Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America, everybody can recognize a seagull, but it is difficult even for the expert birders to id them at the species-level.

Another vote for herring gulf.

[paulnj]

herring gull it is...