Eagle Nest Diaries 2004—April

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This page is part of our Eagle Nest Diaries series that began in 2002 and continued in 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008. The following photos were taken on an INHF project site along the Upper Iowa River in April 2004. By protecting this land, INHF members also protected a bald eagle pair's nest. The photos below show the eagle parents raising eaglets in that nest. The photos were taken with a high-powered lens by Mary Ellen Leicht. Keep checking this page as it will be updated whenever we get new information and pictures.

April 10-11, 2004: This year, let's hope for better luck for the babies!

We're back
A parent eagle joins its mate and their two babies! The babies were first spotted on April 6th this year. With the bad luck the pair faced last year, we hope the eaglets survive this year. Parent eagles must keep close watch on their eaglets because other animals may prey on them, as it's been hypothesized happen to last year's babies. Only about 50 percent of eagles hatched survive their first year.

Dinner is served
Adults will feed their babies until the eaglets are about five weeks old when the eagles can begin to tear at their food.

Away from home
An adult eagle perches at the end of an evergreen. An eagle flies at approximately 30 miles per hour and can dive at 100 miles per hour. Eagles use rising warm air currents to soar for hours. Soaring conserves the bird's energy, which is especially helpful in long migration periods.
In 2002 and 2003, our observers noticed one the eagles had been banded by a DNR red leg band. This year they have noted neither eagle has a leg band. Bruce Ehresmans, of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Biologist, said, it is almost certain the same male has returned to the nest. Normally the female could be the same bird but has lost a red leg band. Since there are no leg bands on either leg, the female is probably new to the nest. Eagles mate for life, but won't hesitate to find a new mate if something happens to it.

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Watching over its flock
The parent eagle seems to be protectively watching over its eaglets. When the eaglets are very young, the parents are always nearby. In fact, generally they won't stray more than two miles away from the nest.

April 24-25, 2004: Parenting these youngsters is a full-time job

Even eagles have bad hair days
Our eagle pair looks like a before and after shot. The female eagle looks very weathered compared to her male counterpart. She most likely withstood the night's rainstorms in the nest. The male however must have sought shelter somewhere else. Our observers have noticed the female spends a more time in the nest then the male.

I am too taller than you
Eaglets can vary in size and age. Eggs are laid a few days apart and consequently hatch in the order they were laid. The "older" eagle can be slightly bigger, and as the author noted last year, the parent eagle seemed to feed the bigger eagle more than the smaller one. Sex of the eaglet is another factor that can affect size. Female eaglets tend to be larger than their male counterparts. The same is true for adult female eagles and most birds of prey.

Standing tall
In this picture it is easy to see the eaglets are growing. Eagles grow fairly quickly-- the birds gain about a pound of weight every five days. At three weeks old the babies are approximately one foot tall. Adult eagles range from 33-35 inches long for males and 35-37 inches for females. At this stage the eaglets are probably about three and a half weeks old.

Break it up, you two
Spending all their young life confined to a nest, young eaglets are bound to play and fight. As the parent looks on, these babies share a friendly fight.

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I'm hungry
The eaglets are fed several times a day, but the parent eagles do not necessarily hunt that many times a day. Eagles will leave the "leftovers" in the nest for future snacking. Here the parent is alternating which eagle baby it feeds. If the eaglets are uninterested in eating the offering, the parent often will eat the pieces itself.

Eaglets don't need diapers
We've seen several pictures of the parents bringing home food or feeding the babies, but this one captures the other end of things--how eagles relieve themselves. It also captures how eagles are careful to keep their nests clean and free of fecal matter.

Read on to May, June and July!