A Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) perched on the top of a post this morning at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge looked for a moment like it was going to pounce on another eagle that had just landed on a platform attached to the post. Apparently the larger eagle, almost certainly, decided she had something to say to her mate and was merely hopping down to his level and she landed really close to him.
The female eagle seemed unhappy with him and made several loud cries in his direction. He just stood there and took it and in the third shot has the look of a henpecked husband. Apparently she also told him that he needed to perch on the upper post. Perhaps this is the eagle equivalent of sleeping on the couch.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
I so like when there is a story that really captures behaviour! Great series, Mike!
Picture three is begging for a caption. 😀
Re. your third photo, how about this–You’ve been out with the boys three nights in a row. Tonight you are staying with the chicks and I’m going out with the girls!
That sounds about right, Gary.
I think you have it figured out Mike. Poor guy.
It looks like they have provided nest platforms for the eagles there. Is that because there are too few big dead trees in the refuge? It’s a good way to attract eagles apparently. I think the female was encouraging the male to go get more sticks for this nest. They are starting from scratch and will have a lot of sticks to add to build a decent nest cup. Eagles like a very deep nest cup so it might be interesting to see how high this nest gets.
I’ve been wondering about this platform. Someone told me that it is set up for ospreys. There is a nest not too far away that was used by eagles at the refuge last year. I was surprised when I saw it, because the nest is not that big and is the tree is not very tall. There are at least several pairs of bald eagles, I believe, at this wildlife refuge, which at Occoquan Bay, which comes off of the Potomac River.
Aha, that explains why that platform is there. Yes, we have platforms like that all over our natural areas to encourage the ospreys to breed there. Well, that pair of BEs must be desperate to settle for such a small nesting area. I’ll be interested to see if you continue to find them building there.
I will be sure to let you know if anything gets built there. Certain parts of the refuge were shut last year when the eagles were nesting and I suspect that will be the case again this year. Somehow I don’t think these eagles are going to use that platform, but I might be wrong.