View of the Amateur  

              Referred to as the “war eagle” from early plains natives, the golden eagle is a symbol of power, strength, loyalty and confidence. The powerful hunter from the sky makes its home in the Bay Area, cruising high casting a shadow on mountains, open prairies, lakes, and streams.  The golden eagle has a wing span of about seven feet, talons as large as bear claws, with a single talon nail as long as two and a half to three inches in length. This eagle is capable of performing power dives from the heavens clocked at speeds over a hundred fifty miles per hour.

                                              East of San Francisco in the Diablo and Livermore foothills and mountain ranges is one of the most densely populated areas of the golden eagles in the western United States.  It is a habitat with pine and oak covered foot hills, some moderate mountain ranges and numerous barren valleys. The eastern backside is the Sacramento river system with its hundreds of miles of waterways and sparsely populated islands with rabbits, ground squirrels and other prey. Golden eagles live here nesting and hunting in the pristine open meadows and hillsides west of the central valley that runs north and south of the bay area.

          Perhaps it is the diverse country side, population of rodents and small mammals, and the temperate weather conditions that line up nicely for the golden eagle.  There are vast open spaces coupled with dense growth areas that connect foothill corridors. This may assist the large raptors to move back and forth through many landscapes and climate conditions within a short distance, offering a variety of choices on the dinner menu perhaps not as available in other habitats.

             Hunting techniques

            Golden eagles have specific styles of hunting which tends to work well in this landscape. These large raptors require open country to hunt, giving them the ability to cut down prey unable to get into high brush or forested structure for cover. They are formidable fliers for their size and are tough ground fighters, at times running short distances to complete take downs. It is here they can also defend kills or carrion from other adversaries’, even single coyotes. Though some raptors can harass golden eagles on the wing, once landed they will not challenge this prince of the prairie. The perfect scenario for the golden eagle is to have tall trees near open country; from there like many other raptors they will use their phenomenal eyesight to spot and target possible quarry from a high perch. Another common hunting technique is to glide close to the ground over vermin burrows waiting for one not paying attention on the way in or out of its burrow or cover. They will also “kite in the sky” staying still in one place against wind studying in anticipation for opportunity on the earth below. Many ground squirrel communities use a distinctive alarm call so the entire colony realizes trouble is in the vicinity. Other animals will utilize the ground squirrel calls, or will rely on hearing and eye sight as survival tools.

   The eagles have another interesting hunting technique: fly so high they are nearly out of site, use that incredible vision, then form their body into arrow form and power dive from high altitude locked on a particular prey, all the while gambling the quarry below will not look up in time. Some Native American tribes witnessed the eagles up so high they were out of sight,  leaving observers to believe they had the ability to meet with the Great Spirit, giving even more spiritual significance in their beliefs and rituals.

        Negatives

        Though many environmental factors in the Diablo range line up nicely for the golden eagle there are many variables and issues in this sprawling and diverse area. Eagles face growing human population and development, anti-congratulant poisons and above ground utilities including energy creating wind mills in their breeding areas and hunting grounds. Death and injuries from vehicles has become an issue as more arterial roadways now wind through their most desired areas. With the varied hunting techniques the golden uses to capture prey' some are potentially dangerous. For example, flying low to the ground, and once locked on its prey fail to account for the physics of a moving truck or the windmill blade.

    There are natural issues as well. Crow and raven populations rise annually, and like eagles are part time scavengers.  In California, competition with adversaries is a day to day reality. The golden shares areas with other large raptors, badgers, bobcats, mountain lions and coyotes, all of which contend for the same prey. The area is only as rich as the population and health of the quarry, and survival is dependent on nature’s bounty and balance. 

 

Identification

                                          Even though the eagles are currently not endangered, many people never get a close look at the golden. These birds are shy, never curious, and make it a point to keep at great distances from people. Dedicated only to their life long mate and their own young, they prefer remote areas, open grass lands,  and edges of forested areas. Their cousin, the bald eagle, tends to get more attention with that recognizable white head, and perhaps because they are near water, where us humans spend our spring and summers. Yet the golden eagle is comfortable in the bad lands where there are few folks. Here they can go their own way, never too impressed with human activity.  Lakes and rivers are necessary, though unlike the bald eagle this is not the main hunting area, leaving them spread out though natures most rugged country. Identification can be difficult as the golden eagles are a dark colored raptor in a land populated by many other dark raptors and vultures. As the bird ages through its long life it becomes even darker. The California countryside includes many other large raptors including ferruginous, swainson, red tail, and rough legged hawks just to name a few. Turkey vultures are in large numbers here, and from a distance are simular as well. Identifying these other fliers will help you identify the mighty golden eagle. In the Bay Area they are easily viewed for those interested. Younger birds have white color midway on their under wings or backside of the tail. Look for the large body, long tail and neck on a bird that flies with slow wing beats, usually gliding on flat wings. That one likely could be a Golden eagle!