Janet Smith captured this adult eagle on her Canon sx40hs in the backyard, near Mt. Pleasant in Rockport, on Nov. 23.

According to Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife: “At 5 years of age, a (sexually mature) adult bald eagle has a pure white head and white tail that sharply contrast the dark brown feathering elsewhere on the body. In flight, notice the relatively long head / neck profile (about 50 percent of the length of the tail) unlike smaller proportions on a golden eagle silhouette.....

“Bald eagles are creatures of habit. What seems ‘the same eagle perched on the same limb of the same tree’ may be a series of individuals over time. They are selective about food sources, perches, nocturnal roosts, and especially nests.

“Maine’s bald eagles are primarily fish eaters at inland settings on the lakes and rivers. In coastal estuaries and (especially) offshore, they eat a more varied diet adding seabirds and waterfowl.”