Although bald eagles have been seen in southwest Oklahoma as early as Nov. 15, park officals say that there have not yet been any confirmed sightings this year. “There have been some unconfirmed reports over the past 3 weeks,” said Sue Hokanson of the Quartz Mountain Nature Park.

“There is one large bird that really has everyone guessing,” she said. “From a distance it looks like an eagle with a black body and a white head - even with the binoculars focused on the bird, it was hard to tell.” she said, “but it's actually an Osprey.”

Hokanson said that mature bald eagles have a solid black/very dark brown body. Immature bald eagles are more mottled black and brown. This feeding bird had a white body. So identification was positive for an Osprey.

A lot of reference books do not list Ospreys as being in Oklahoma. Neither, “The National Geographic Field Guide to Birds of North America” or Stan Tekiela's “Birds of Oklahoma” show Ospreys as being in Oklahoma-not even on their migration however, they are here.

“If you'd like to see one, drive along North Shore Road and look at the large Cottonwoods sticking up out the wetter sloughs. If you're lucky you may spot an Osprey. If you're really lucky, you may be the first to spot the returning Bald Eagles” Hokanson said.