Speed Birding: Golden Eagle Season in PA

November is Golden Eagle season, which means you can expect to see more Golden’s than you’ve seen all year if you go to the right place. From visiting a number of sites in Bedford and Somerset counties, my personal season Golden Eagle count is at 29. These raptors generally migrate alone, but can often be seen in migration with a buddy. I’ve seen pairs of adult birds, pairs of immature birds, and pairs with both adults and immatures. Yesterday, though, at a local ridge site, I saw for the first time ever three adult Golden Eagles migrating together! Conditions were not ideal for migration. South west winds brought in thick cloud cover with a relatively low cloud ceiling. Thermals were shot, and when this happens, the flight usually suffers (unless there is a backlog of migrants waiting to break through a clearing after a storm). I had seen 8 Golden Eagles in the morning, and wasn’t expecting much of a push of anything in the afternoon. As I was giving up hope and pondering the addition of a few more layers of clothing, I spotted three evenly spaced large, dark raptors flapping down the ridge. The birds were about 50 meters apart, and my first thought was that they were migrant Turkey Vultures. The birds just weren’t acting right, and when I got my binos on them I realized they had to be eagles, from their big, powerful flaps and head projection. The scope confirmed this, and although they were quite far away, I could tell they were adult Golden Eagles. In the bad weather they lost a little altitude and got a little closer together, but continued in their powered glides down the ridge.

This past weekend I spent a few hours at the Allegheny Front Hawk Watch, which is one of the best sites for Golden Eagles in the fall in PA. Within just a few hours, 11 Golden Eagles had migrated by, and I got the best looks of Golden Eagles I’d had yet of the season. One juvenile even soared right over the hawk watch for a few minutes. I left by 3:00 pm, but the days total Golden count was sixteen. Red-tails were the most numerous migrant on this day, but it wouldn’t be unheard of to have Golden Eagle as your most numerous species seen on the Allegheny Front Ridge; the ridge is vitally important for migrating Golden Eagles, which makes continued monitoring efforts equally as important.

Here is a good summary on how to age Golden Eagles, by Jerry Liguori Ageing Golden Eagles

All of the following photos were taken at the Allegheny Front Hawk Watch.