Lydia,

Note that 'mottled' bald eagle would likely be a second-year bird, rather
than a 1st-year bird... First-year Baldies seen this time of year are
generally chocolate-brown overall. Second-year birds have the more
mottled plumage - a two-tone tail, kind of 'splotchy' (I hate to admit it,
but I've mistaken them - at a distance - as red-tailed hawks!!). Third-
year birds have a generally 'adult' plumage, with the white head and
tail, but with a lot of 'dirty smudges' in the white, sort of a 'black eye'.
The fourth-year and older birds have the classic pie-bald black-and-
white adult plumage.

Lydia Gaebe wrote:

"Today I headed down to the Nisqually Delta to see what ever I could see. ..

"Immature Bald Eagle possibly a first year youngster, very, very mottled
plumage!"

Always a neat bird, in any plumage!

Jon. Anderson
Olympia, Washington
festuca at olywa.net