Wow. Quite the rush on Golden Eagles!
All the excellent comments pretty much reflect my experience too.
We see them migrating through the Skagit Flats in small numbers every
March.
We will sometimes get one on the Skagit Flats Winter Raptor Census but they
are pretty rare.
When one does show up in winter, it will often be found in the same area
for a few years and then disappear.
The Cascade ridges have quite a few moving around this time of year, both
residents hunting and migrants heading south.
I suspect some of these birds, if caught on the west side of the Cascade
crest when the snows begin, may move down into the Puget Sound lowlands for
the winter.
BTW, I have to disagree with Wayne here (a true rarity). I have no problem
with you seeing a Golden on the west side at this time of year. Anything is
possible during migration.
Regarding sizes between the two eagle species, I prefer to use the Bill
Clark technique of looking at the length of the head. If it is more than
half the length of the tail, it is a Bald Eagle. If it is less than half
the length of the tail, it is a Golden Eagle. Works really well.

To me, these guys can show up just about anywhere at any time. A long time
ago, I had the honor of living with a crippled Golden Eagle for 17 years.
One day, in June on Bayview Ridge west of Burlington, here in Skagit
County, an adult Golden came in out of nowhere, sat in a tree above my bird
and just sort of hung out for about an hour. No idea where it came from and
never saw it again.

--
Bud Anderson
Falcon Research Group
Box 248
Bow, WA 98232
(360) 757-1911
falconresearch at gmail.com
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