Wait til you see Golden Eagles :) We have a mating pair of Balds and it is fun to watch their young get bigger and then take off. Every year around the same time, we have a giant Golden that cruises around the lake and forest. The first time I saw it, I couldn't believe how big it was. Like, over a 7ft wingspan. I realize Balds are close, but this Golden one is a monster.

There is variation, some balds are bigger too especially more north. Generally though the two are almost identical in size: https://www.avianreport.com/bald-eagle-wingspan-versus-birds...

There's some video on YouTube of Golden Eagles pulling young mountain goats off mountain cliffs to kill for food. On the flip-side, seeing our "majestic" Baldies scavenging for food at an Alaskan trash dump like a common seagull was a bit incongruous with my image of them until that point as well.

Came to say the same thing: Bald Eagles are I think regular sized. Golden Eagles are like "whoa, someone zoomed that eagle to 3X".

Wait till you see Albatrosses :) 11ft wingspan :-p

An albatross isn't likely to drop out of a fir and fly off in a huff while I'm figuring out why the chickens are seriously unhappy.

Also, semi off topic -- Great horned owls like using inflatable pools as bird baths.

That's what Big Alba want you to think.

I get fly-bys from bald eagles in the traffic pattern at an airport I frequent. Even from the cockpit they look enormous. Definitely don’t want one of those monsters to wind up on a leading edge.

Incidentally it’s interesting how many raptors seem to like hanging around in airport traffic patterns. I realize there’s a bit of a selection bias here, but I do work at similar altitudes away from airports and sightings aren’t nearly as common out in the field. I like to think they’re reminding the metal birds who’s boss.

I used to have an office that overlooked an airport (in the UK), and I used to watch the birds of prey taking rabbits off the grass surrounding the runways. Seemed to be a lot of them on there, I guess since its a fairly big area where they don't get disturbed.

I've wondered if it's something like that—a wide open space where the prey is easier to see.

Likely to do with hot tarmac making it easier to catch a upward current.

Funny thing is I never see them (or any other raptors) thermaling over pavement, not even factoring in a thermal getting skewed by wind.

I am always reminded of this meme

https://img.ifunny.co/images/70898eeb8bc2323e320aca74b03bb9a...

"Basically a glorified seagull"

Honestly, seagulls are huge birds too. Male bald eagle has about the same wingspan as a seagull (5-6 feet).

If you look up the numbers the Wedge Tail Eagle has the same wing span as the bald eagle.

Herring gulls also live for 30-40 years.

So it's basically "my bird could beat up your bird".

In the UK our national bird is the Robin :)

I didn't realize how large they were.

But I saw one at the top of an electrical tower and from the ground it was large but not gigantic. Much later on they took the nest down and it was the size of a Mini! Yes, the British car.

Sounds like the couple of times I've seen white tailed eagles near where I live in Scotland - I can see why they are called "flying barn doors".