Spying on Eagles

About 15 miles from where I live I can watch a bald eagle nest.  I wish it was just a little closer to the road, but it is close enough to see when the adults are home …. and with binoculars I can see a little more, like fresh sticks added to the nest last January.  When the wind is still I can just barely hear the eagles singing.  When it is windy, just their body posture tells me when they are singing.  I’ll never tire of that music. 

 

My first 'Painted Lady Beetle' and a 'Variegated Lady Beetle'

The place where we park and see the nest happens to have good ‘bugging,’ i.e. a good place to find insects and spiders, even in late winter.  Bugging was so good returned on 14 days between Jan 25 and April 9 …. And I took notes on the eagle nest between lady bugs, playing peek-a-boo with a funnel spider, and finding a pregnant cucumber beetle. 

The eagle nest is across the river and in the tallest tree

Serious watching began on February 16:

            We’re back at the bald eagle nest.  I’ve got a rotten head cold.  Sitting in the car, soaking up winter sunshine, suits me just fine.  No sign of the eagles.  I’m keeping a careful lookout for an eagle while we eat our McDonald’s filet-of-fish sandwiches. 

            Ah Ha!  An eagle stands on the nest.  I’ve wondered if I can see an eagle up there when they are incubating.  Now I know.  It is possible for the adult to disappear into the nest.

            The eagle stands and calls.  Too far for me to hear, but I know he/she is calling.  Within a minute the second adult flies in and lands on the nest.  The two are together about a minute before one, I think not the newcomer, pops over to a limb about ten feet out.  The remaining eagle at the nest starts to settle, carefully, ever so carefully onto the nest.  I see the gentle rocking as the adult lowers itself carefully down.  There must be eggs up there!

            Now I’ve been watching and sketching for over an hour and a half.  It’s been rather busy up in the nest.  Eagle comes. Eagle goes.  Eagle stands.  Eagle settles.  If I arrived right now I’d say there are no eagles in the area, but a few minutes ago I saw one disappear into a clump of Douglas firs just up river and I don’t think the nest has been empty since we arrived.

            I sit for nearly another hour.  Mostly quiet.  No sign of any eagle and I begin to wonder if there really is an eagle up there … then it stands up.  Now I’m wondering if one eagle does most of the incubating and I got to see the second come in and take over for an hour so.  Now back to the first bird ….??? It could even be that incubation had started when we were here Feb 9.  On Jan 30 and 31, I felt incubation hadn’t started. 

Feb 19:  Hard freeze last night but it is supposed to warm to 60 degrees.  Sunny.  We are ‘bugging’ again.  My cold is better and I’m getting outside.  The bald eagles have me puzzled.  I believe at least one was at the nest until 3:50 PM, then both flew off.  I watch carefully for at least ten minutes, expecting one to return.  Maybe it is warm enough to leave eggs.  Forty minutes later I don’t think either have returned.  … but I could have missed it.  When they fly in from the back of the nest, there isn’t much opportunity for me to see the eagle arrive. 

March 9:  Incubating (every so often I see a white head up there).  March 18:  Incubating.  March 19:  Incubating

March 25:  I think the eaglets have hatched.  The adults stands, fusses, appears to be feeding something hidden in the nest.  I can’t see much.  Mostly it is tantalizing.  Incubation for bald eagles is about 35 days, so if my observations have been correct, they could have hatched. 

April 3:  A friend, Bob, photographed an adult eagle flying towards the nest with a great handful of long grasses – perhaps freshening up the nest cup – or are they still nest building and I’ve been imagining everything?

April 9:  Success!  There is no doubt about it.  I can see a little eaglet head in my photo.  From my past experience with other raptors this baby is several days old.  It takes a while before they can hold their head high like that. 

Now I’m wondering how many eaglets are there?  I look forward to seeing more.