It has been raining-drizzling now for the past 9 days and is continuing again today. YUK! I am having cabin fever and we are not even into real winter! I have not been able to get out and look for the critters, so there has been little to write about. So I thought I would use this dreary morning to write a brief note about eagles and how they get their white color in their head and tail. When eagles are born, they are gray( first pic below). At about six weeks old, they are very dark, almost black, and they stay quite dark brown (2nd pic) for six months or so. They will gradually gain more white in their feathers along with lighter shades of brown into the 2nd year(next 2 pics). It is during this time that I think they are the least attractive and certainly do not present the striking figure that we associate with the Bald Eagle name. In fact, they are downright ugly to me! This is not atypical of many adolescent critters, as you well know! They will gradually over the next 3 years develop more dark brown, uniform coloration all over(next pic). By the end of the 4th year, white coloration will begin to appear in the head and tail until they have the classic look of an adult bird.(next few pics). The last 2 pics show the full white of sexually mature adult birds. The eagle needs the full four years before mating to learn all the complex behaviors required for the responsibility of adulthood. I hope to be able to get out and get new pics this week and will keep you posted---
SEE GALLERY BELOW
SEE GALLERY BELOW
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