Posted by John Boyd on August 02, 2002 at 08:41:24:
In Reply to: Re: How say you? posted by David La Puma on August 02, 2002 at 00:48:13:
I'm not 100% sure it's an Osprey. It just seems to me the best fit for what I see in the picture.
As to Paul's objection concerning location, I've seen Osprey over Sweet Bay Pond, which is a mile or so from the Mahogany cutoff. Note that there is no credible record of a Golden Eagle in summer anywhere in Florida (winter is a different matter and there are even specimens from north Florida).
Bald Eagle remains a possibility.
In this case we have a photograph where the underparts of the bird are shaded. We all know that shaded underparts can make even white birds such as Cattle Egrets look dark (I saw this with a flock of them just yesterday morning). This effect is even stronger in photographs because of the inability of film (photographic paper is even worse) to distinguish more than a few shades of brightness.
This is why I'm not too worried about the fact that the breast appears dark. (BTW. The new Peterson series hawk guide has an interesting picture of a melanistic Osprey where the breast really is dark...very interesting bird).
What I do see in the photo is something that looks very much like an Osprey's carpal mark on the left wing, and white markings that appear to extend way out on the outer primaries. I don't believe any Eagles have white way out there, but I could be wrong.
It could be that the "carpal mark" is merely an illusion, and that the white doesn't really extend that far out the wing, in which case a young Bald Eagle is more possible.
I still don't like the shape for Bald Eagle. The wings don't look uniformly broad enough (which could be due to the folding), and I'm not entirely sure they're long enough. It doesn't look like it has enough tail, and the tail doesn't appear pointy enough (although that could be an illusion). It's possible that an eagle that just took off would hold itself this way, but it's not a typical posture.
If the white head/neck is a head, then it could be an eagle, but I'm having trouble seeing how it would get its massive head there without pointing it up or down. That sort of mark is rather typical for an Osprey neck, and seems to be in the right place. There's no hint of a massive eagle head, but it could be hidden (lack of contrast with the wing behind it).
In other words, I have to make a lot of excuses if I am to call this bird an eagle. It's possible the excuses are all valid, but having to make a lot of excuses is usually a sign of an incorrect ID.
There's also the possibility that it some other buteo. (It's obviously not an accipter or harrier due to tail length, and not a falcon by wing shape.) E.g., Red-tailed Hawks are highly variable and not so easy to rule out. That goes double for youngsters!
I also can't 100% rule out juvenile Snail Kite!
Right now, my feeling on this photo is that we have to make many fewer excuses for it if we call it an Osprey than we do for Bald Eagle, Snail Kite, or any buteo. So if I have to call it something, I'll call it an Osprey.