Not much to go on... (1 Viewer)

[lassa8]

Around 7:30am today I was riding my bike down a gravel road in northeast Missouri and when I came around a corner at the bottom of a hill I saw my girlfriend stopped just pointing at a gigantic bird swooping over the road. We weren't really close enough to make an identification, but the wingspan had to have been around five feet or so and it didn't look like there were any white markings underneath the bird. By the time I rode up the hill to where the bird was soaring it had flown off into the distance. Any ideas at all? I know it's not much to go on. Hopefully I'll come across this bird again and get a better look (picture?) at it.

 

[oldsquaw]

Probably a Turkey Vulture look for a TV dinner.

 

[lassa8]

Scratch that. I talked to my girlfriend again and she said it had a "white head." Guess that means bald eagle? Wish she'd said that when I asked her if it had any white markings on it since she had a better/longer look than I did.

 

[Tero]

We have some Bald Eagles. I would guess you would find them within 20 miles of the rivers. Vultures have a lot of black near the front, a more uneven light and dark coloring may be a juvenile Bald Eagle, which does not have a whit head for quite a while.

 

[lassa8]

I really wish I'd been able to see if it really had a white head or not. I don't know if she's just saying that because I mentioned "bald eagle" or not. My first guess is a juvenile bald eagle based on pictures I've looked up online this morning.

 

[Tero]

I drove up the river once to see adults, they were not cooperating. So I have only seen the juveniles as well. It should be big as door, flying thru the sky soaring.

They should have gone north from here by now.