Earlier this month I did a posting called Looking out of the nest that featured a young Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) sitting up in a large nest at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge and wondered when it would be able to fly. Last Friday I returned to the refuge and was delighted to see the eaglet flapping its wings and testing them out—I think it is almost ready to fly..
The eaglet repeatedly extended its wings, but seemed a bit uncoordinated, like a gawky teenager who has experienced a growth spurt. Several times it was able to rise up into the air, but looked uncertain about what to do next. The photos below show some of the action, which lasted only for a few minutes. The eaglet then disappeared into the deep nest, possibly to rest after its exertion.
I watched for a while longer and eventually the eaglet reappeared, but it simply sat up, looking out of the nest. A fellow photographer told me that he spotted the eaglet the following day perched in the tree that you can see in the right side of the image. I suspect, though, that the eaglet will need some quite a bit more practice before it will be capable of venturing out on its own and, of course, it will have to learn how to fish.
I will probably make a trip to the refuge this week to check on the eaglet. So many of the nearby trees are covered with leaves that I may have trouble spotting the eagle, particularly because its dark, and mottled plumage help it to blend in well with the foliage. Adult Bald Eagles tend to stick out a bit more because of the bright white feathers on their heads.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Almost ready !
Great to see the action
Very nice series of Eagle in the nest images Mike! Enjoyed seeing them!
Lovely series Mike, I hope you can get back there to follow it’s progress.
Mike, I wasn’t sure how to send you this, but because of your interest in eagles I thought you would find this interesting. https://www.cbc.ca/1.6495246
Thanks for sharing that link. I couldn’t pull my eyes away from the video of the the hawk that went from being a main course to becoming a member of the eagle family. Wow!
I’ve seen anything like it.
I meant never seen.
I was so thrilled when the mothering instinct eventually kicked in and the eagle Mom started to feed the baby hawk. It literally was unbelievable, but heartwarming for sure.
[…] of the parents of the young eaglet at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge that I featured in a recent post. Last Friday, the larger Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) at the top was perched for an […]
Very nice captures of the wingercizing and early lift offs, Mike. They’re so much fun to watch at this stage – I hope you get to see them on some short flights.