~courtesy of The Scranton Journal
Randy Lewis of Scranton had a young friend join him for some fishing over the Fourth of July weekend. His sister, Leesa Squibb of Scranton, captured these photos and shared them with The Scranton Journal. This young eagle apparently wanted to see if Randy had any fish he would share. To protect the young bird (and Randy’s favorite fishing hole), we’re not going to reveal the location except to say it was in Greene County near a river.
According to information on bald eagles, immature birds have a mixture of brown and white feathers, with a black beak and brown eyes in younger birds. Some immature bald eagles have more mottling than others. Adult plumage develops when a bald eagle becomes sexually mature and it takes five years for a bald eagle to attain the solid white head and tail feathers they are known for.
For the first five years they gradually change; the beak turns from black to yellow, the eyes from brown to pale yellow, body feathers from mottled to dark brown, and head and tail feathers from mottled to solid white.
Bald eagles were removed from the Endangered and Threatened Species List in 2007. Several pairs of eagles have been observed nesting in Greene County, returning each year to improve their nests and raise their young.
Eagles are scavengers. Many residents have observed the birds foraging on road kill, especially deer. A couple years ago, an eagle was hit by a semi tractor-trailer and killed south of Bayard.
