The Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) at a prominent nesting site at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge were late this year in nesting and I feared that they might not have any babies. I was therefore thrilled yesterday to discover that there is now an eaglet in the nest when I returned to that part of the refuge for the first time in a couple of months.
Authorities at the refuge set up barriers to keep the nesting eagles from being disturbed, so I had to observe the nest from a long way off. When I first arrived at the barrier yesterday, I could not tell if there were any eaglets. However, I noted that one of the parent eagles was perched on a limb above and to the right of the nest. In the past, I learned that when eaglets start to grow, there is no longer any room for a parent in the nest, so having one parent keeping guard near the nest was a positive sign.
I waited and waited and eventually the other parent eagle flew in and perched on a limb above and to the left of the nest. I was peering though my fully-extended telephoto zoom lens and noticed a dark shape pop up in the middle of the nest shortly after the second parent arrived. When I looked at my shots afterwards, I confirmed that there was an eaglet in the nest.
In the first shot, it looks like the eaglet was calling to its parent, although I did not hear a sound, or maybe was indicating it was hungry. I pulled back my zoom lens to its widest setting for the second shot, in which you can see both eagle parents and the eaglet in the nest in the center (you may want to click on the image to see more details).
I think that there is only one eaglet this year, though I can’t be absolutely certain. In past years there have been either one of two eaglets in this nest. Now that I know that there is a new little eaglet, I will probably try to return to the site to monitor its progress over the upcoming weeks and months.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
This is good to see, Mike. I hope the little guy thrives.
Thanks, Dan. Yesterday was cool, cloudy, and breezy, not exactly perfect conditions for the kind of photography that I like to do, but it sure felt good to be out walking around with my long lens. I noted a whole lot more vegetation than a month ago–birds are almost impossible to spot in the trees now.
I noticed that in the park, too. I hear them, but they are getting hard to find. Just the way they like it.
Nice Mike! Always fun to watch & photograph Eagle Nests! It is amazing that that NWRs we visit do that also, but many just go around the barriers and ignore the signs!
How exciting, Mike!
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Thanks, Mitzy. I am always excited whenever I have the chance to see Bald Eagles. 🙂
And so, once again, your patience and persistence are duly rewarded. I’m looking forward to your progress reports!
We’ll have to see how that goes, Gary. Many of the places that have been closed over the last few months are starting to reopen, so I may be varying my routines more in the upcoming days.
Fabulous captures, Mike! Little Eagle will grow fast, hopefully faster than the leaves on the tree! I love your second image that shows the full tree and both parents. Have fun watching the raising of the little guy.
Thanks, Ellen. When I first arrived one parent was on duty and a while later the second one arrived. They both stayed in place for about 30 minutes and then the first one left. The leaves may soon block my view, so I may have to be extremely lucky to get more views of the eaglet as it grows.
I wish the little guy all the best of fortunes!
Nice one Mike! It will be fun to watch the eaglet grow!