New Bird Today on the Tuolumne River: A Bald Eagle!

Sometimes a new bird discovery is a quiet affair. The other day, for instance, I saw my first Fox Sparrows along the Tuolumne Parkway Trail (I've seen them elsewhere, but not on the home trail). They were quietly scratching away in the dirt looking for food while I took a few pictures.

But sometimes things are a little more dramatic. I was out on my normal walk on the river trail checking out the hawks and an uncharacteristically large grouping of Double-crested Cormorants, meaning the day was already a success in my mind. Then I saw the hawk take off and my attention shifted for moment when a very large bird appeared close by, flying low over the river. I had the impression of a light hindquarter and overall dark color, and even thought "Bald Eagle?" but I hadn't gotten a good look at all.

Suddenly there was some shouting above me, from the top of the bluff. "Garry, did you see that?" I don't usually expect to hear my name coming from up in the sky, but I quickly remembered a friend who lives in a house on the bluff overlooking the river. I asked if it was a Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and they said yes. I headed upstream as quickly as I could in the vain hope that the eagle had landed somewhere, but it eluded my careful search.

I returned to the trailhead vacillating about whether to report the eagle on eBird. It occurred to me to check with my friend on the bluff when I finished hiking, and it turned out that they watched it land in a tree up the river. It was right next to where I had been searching, but I had missed it entirely. They mentioned that I might get a better view from the access road for the Water Treatment Plant. I drove over, and there it was! I went home and got Mrs. Geotripper and we headed back and got some pictures of the first Bald Eagle reported on the Tuolumne Parkway River Trail (the first time it's been officially reported anyway; my friends tell me they've seen an eagle fly by once in a while during winter).