The Golden Eagle is one of the most spectacular birds in the Northern Hemisphere. I always enjoy watching them and I am actively involved in a Golden Eagle conservation project in Bavaria.

I’ve written down some tips on how to improve your chances of seeing that amazing bird.

• Best time of the day is usually late morning to late afternoon. Early in the morning is not so good, as there are no thermals yet. But the eagles may be hunting in the morning. If you have time, get up early.
• Courtship displays are best viewed from December to March. That depends on where you are. In more northern countries the courtship seasons starts later. The Golden Eagle’s undulating flight can also be seen outside of the months just mentioned but normally not that frequently
• If you are in a mountainous area, search the edge of the mountains against the blue sky or white clouds. In front of dark mountains, it’s hard to find the birds, but against the blue sky or white clouds it’s much easier.
• Take your spotting scope with you. The eagles or often far away and you might need a spotting scope to identify them.
• Learn all you can about the Common Buzzard and other raptors that can be confused with the eagles
• When you don’t have a direct comparison with another bird or something familiar, do not rely on the size of the bird alone. It’s hard or impossible to judge the size of distant birds without something to compare them with.
• Watch the crows and ravens. They will often attack Golden Eagles, especially if the huge bird gets to close to their nest. Excited ravens and crows may be a good sign that an eagle is close.
• Don’t give up too early. Although huge birds, Golden Eagles are often hard to find. They occupy a large territory (normally between 30 and 200 square kilometers) and in most cases you won’t be able to view all the territory from where you are watching.

I hope those tips are helpful. If you have some more, please add them as a comment to this post.