aquila (eagle) chrysaetos (from chrysos, golden, and aetos, eagle)
Sunday, April 1, 1984 — 4:35 pm
Coronado National Forest, Arizona — Ramsey Canyon Preserve
As amazed as I was by the hummingbird show, I tore myself away to watch a Golden Eagle. It was soaring in circles high above the canyon. The walls of the canyon were very high, and the eagle was high above the walls. It wasn’t a great view, but I saw it clearly. After watching it soar for several minutes, I saw it tuck its wings and stoop out of sight in a series of dives.
The next day I got a much better view of a Golden Eagle in Sabino Canyon. I was hiking up the canyon when I saw one soar to a ledge on the cliff side of the road. The group of people who happened to be near me dismissed it as a vulture and walked off. As soon as they rounded a bend out of sight, the eagle took off and circled the valley low overhead, and I had it all to myself. It steadily circled higher until it reached the level of the canyon walls, then it glided out of sight over the ridge.