Eagle Diaries 2004 - June

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June 19-20, 2004

Getting Ready to FLY!
Note: due to a branch blocking the view of our photographer and on-site oberserver, no photos are available. Here, an INHF member relates the latest from the nest:

"Only one eagle was at the nest site and it was very active with much wing flapping and going from limb to limb and down into the nest and back up. I watched about an hour trying to see if it looked anywhere in particular in case the other baby was nearby but out of my sight—such a small field of vision now with leaves so thick—but can't really say that it spent time staring at anything much.

"I'd not been able to see anything from lower site but from the upper site, I could see one out on a limb. I came back down after awhile and then could see one on nest and it hopped up onto limb so I wasn't sure if it'd been out of sight so I went back up to top site and there it was—same one—so I sat and watched it a long time. But it never did take that first daunting leap into a new expansive world.

"I think the second eagle flew away.

"A few days ago the babies were calling out to the parents, but the parents could not be seen anywhere. When the parents deem it is time to get the babies out of the nest, they will not bring food to the nest, but will fly by with food dangling from their feet—giving motivation to the babies to follow them. This is the right time for them to be taking off!

"It is not unusual that one will fledge before the other one. Even after they fledge, they may still return to the nest a few times."

June 24, 2004

They've flown the coop!
Note: due to a branch blocking the view of our photographer and on-site oberserver, no photos are available. Here, an INHF member relates the latest from the nest:

"I went out to nest site about 5:30 tonight fully expecting to see no eagles. From lower site I could see one in the nest and it picked up a very large red horse sucker and was eating it. I hurried up to upper site to get a better look and there was an eagle out on a branch and I could see another's tail feathers in the nest. There's a branch in the way so I can only see a small area of the nest. The one on the branch preened and gazed around quite awhile then flew—not hopped—down to east edge of nest turning as he went although it wasn't a long distance at all!—and walked over to center of nest and laid down beside the other one on the side nearest me. Then I could only see a wing flip up once in a great while so I finally came home.

"This means they do come back to the nest as there was only one there Monday afternoon—the other could've been in the vicinity as the field of view is very limited by foliage between the nest and me."

June 25, 2004

Soaring on their own
Note: due to a branch blocking the view of our photographer and on-site oberserver, no photos are available. Here, an INHF member relates the latest from the nest:

"I went out to nest site this evening and from the lower site I could see one very long eagle shape with its tail over one side and head over the other side of the nest but not moving so I went on up to the upper site and could see what looked like the tail of an eagle so I waited quite awhile and finally one stood up and eventually flew up onto limb and then flew out a little further and preened and roused and pooped and stood a bit with wings extended and took off gaining altitude as he went out of sight.

"I patiently waited another long while and could see the immature soaring overhead and then in a bit heard a crashing in the trees by the pines where the adults spent a lot of time to the west (left) of nest. I walked about 8 feet on down path and could see him sitting up in a leafy tree just to the left of the pines the adults used.

"After awhile the other one got up out of the nest and flew up onto a branch and did the poop thing and flew out onto the limb further and then flew out a little further and then took off also gaining altitude. I could see one soaring overhead. In awhile one landed back at the nest. I didn't wait any longer to see whether there was any more action, but now I know they do indeed return to nest!"

June 29, 2004

Fending for themselves
Note: due to a branch blocking the view of our photographer and on-site oberserver, no photos are available. Here, an INHF member relates the latest from the nest:

"Both 'babies' were on a limb to the left of the nest and one kept crying and it finally hopped/flew down to the nest and looked around for something to eat on the west side with no luck so it went to the east side and I could only see its tail but could tell it was tearing something up by the movement of tail and could see bits of fur flying off to right side of nest. It worked at that for a long time. The other one stayed on the limb.

"From lower site, I could see the one on the nest but couldn't tell what was on the "menu" and that baby kept crying and finally gave up and hopped/flew back up onto limb near the other one and I could hear it crying as I continued on home.

"Didn't see or hear any matures."

July 11, 2004

Coming in for a landing
Note: due to a branch blocking the view of our photographer and on-site oberserver, no photos are available. Here, an INHF member relates the latest from the nest:

"Tonight at the nest site I could hear both babies crying in the nearby trees for nearly half an hour when suddenly, a cacophony of excited cryings and a flurry of huge wings landed at the nest as both babies and a mature came home. I thought maybe dinner was served but they just stood there awhile until the baby on the outer branch and the adult took off while the other baby stayed in the nest and pecked around on an old bone—appeared to be about rabbit leg bone size. Then it took off and in a little over half an hour one came back to nest and cried awhile and then laid down and sometime later, the other one returned to the nest. They argued and cried and picked at each other—like neck wrestling when they were little but now using their beaks as they sparred. They both laid down awhile but continued to cry. I stayed around another half hour or so but nothing happened, so I left. As I went down past the lower site, one was out on a limb but the other one was still lying down.

"It was pretty exciting when all those wings were landing at once!"

July 22, 2004

The babies are growing up
Note: due to a branch blocking the view of our photographer and on-site oberserver, no photos are available.

Our spotter reports that she still sees the immature eagles almost every day. The one day she did not see nor hear the babies by the nest "was the day an adult was on the nest eating something formerly known as a furbearing creature." She says, "Tonight could hear both baby eagles crying in [nearby] pines....After a half an hour or so, they both flew to the nest and then were crying and then one took off and came back soon." She adds that when the flyer came in to land, the "other one got up and flared its wings at it like defending territory, but just that quickly it was over and they co-existed peacefully."

August 30, 2004
Feasting
Note: due to a branch blocking the view of our photographer and on-site oberserver, no photos are available.

Our nest observer reports that the eagle babies are still hanging around the nest. She has seen them by the nest and sometimes hears them crying. On this day, "There was something on the nest and I could finally make it out after the eagle kept trying to eat from it--appeared to be a deer leg with hoof --maybe medium-size hoof and leg bone up to knee and about 4-5" past knee. I think it expended more energy trying to get anything edible off the bone than it gained in nutrition! I watched it a long time and it kept pulling and tugging and eventually the leg got clear to east edge of nest and eagle picked it up with right foot and gave a hop and wing flip and moved it to center of nest again. Neat!"