Bald Eagle
Haliaeetus leucocephalus (Linnaeus, 1766)
Photo © Iain H Leach
STATUS
Nearctic. Polytypic.
OVERVIEW
Species not admitted nationally (BOU 1971).
NOT PROVEN
0). 1861 Lancashire & North Merseyside Liverpool, immature, winter.
(Liverpool Albion; Ed., Field 19th Oct., 1861: 448).
[Not in BOU, 1971].
History In an Editorial (1861) in The Field of 19th Oct., Vol. XVIII. p. 448, quoting from the Liverpool Albion under 'Capture of an American Eagle,' says: 'As the Montreal Ocean Steamship Company's screw-steamer, Anglo-Saxon, which arrived here on Tuesday, was proceeding down the St Lawrence, an eagle flew off the land and perched upon one of the upper spars of the vessel. Here it soon fell asleep, and one of the sailors going aloft to the point at which the bird was seated, made capture of it. It turned out to be a young one and in fine condition, and "Jack" brought his prize with him in triumph to Liverpool.'
0). 1865 Yorkshire Long Pain, Bedale Wood, near Scarborough, caught, male, 17th January, photo.
(Nelson, 1907; P. A. Clancey, British Birds 43: 339, plate 60; W. B. Alexander & R. S. R. Fitter, British Birds 48: 5; Mather, 1986).
[Not in BOU, 1971].
History Nelson (1907 (1): 336-337) says: 'A fine male, trapped at Long Pain, Bedale Wood, near Scarborough, on 17th January 1865, and sent to D. Graham of York, to stuff, by Lady Downe, was exhibited at a meeting of the Yorkshire Naturalists' Club. Graham remarked that it had been noticed in the neighbourhood for several winters. This information is, however, too vague to warrant any opinion as to the maturity or immaturity of the bird.'
P. A. Clancey (1950) in British Birds, Vol. XLIII. p. 339, says: 'A mounted Sea-Eagle in the collection of the Scarborough Natural History Museum and formerly the property of the Scarborough Philosophical Society, and at one time in the collection of a Mr. E. P. Brett, of Sawdon, Yorkshire, has since its capture at Long Pain, Beedale Wood, near Scarborough, on January 17th, 1865, been erroneously identified as an example of Haliaetus albicilla. the Palearctic Sea-Eagle.
While working over the collections of the Scarborough Natural History Museum recently, I was struck by the characters of the bird and after certain investigations identified it as a sub-adult specimen of the American Bald Eagle (H. leucocephalus), which species has not previously been recorded from these islands. The specimen, a fine male, was sent by Lady Downe to D. Graham, taxidermist of York, for preservation, and it was exhibited shortly after its capture to a meeting of the Yorkshire Naturalists' Club. Full details of this interesting record are to be found under H. albicilla in Nelson Birds of Yorkshire, (1907) Vol. I. pp. 336-337, and I can find no grounds for questioning the validity of the record.
The specimen has a wing-measurement of just under 26 inches, which places it within the race Haliaetus leucocephalus washingtoniensis, which ranges from Alaska and N. Mackenzie to N. Ungava south to British Columbia and the N.E. United States. It is replaced by the nominate form in the southern half of the United States and N. Mexico.'
W. B. Alexander & R. S. R. Fitter (1955) in British Birds, Vol. XLVIII. p. 5, say: 'Chislett (1953) considers there is some doubt as to the Yorkshire origin of the bird presented to the Scarborough Museum in 1936-37 as a White-tailed Eagle (H. albicilla) but subsequently identified as this species. P. A. Clancey believes it is the eagle recorded by Nelson as having been trapped near Scarborough on 17th January 1865, but this cannot be absolutely proved. One was killed in Sweden about 1850. There are several records for Bermuda. It is mainly resident but some northern birds move south.'
Comment David Graham was at the centre of the "Tadcaster Rarities" fraud and is untrustworthy (T. Melling, British Birds 98: 230-237).
