Mike Powell

Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge are increasingly spending time in and around existing eagle nests. It probably won’t be long before eggs are laid and the eagles begin to sit on the eggs.

On Thursday I spotted an eagle perched high in a nest while its mate kept watch from a nearby tree, as you can see in the final photo. This eagle nest is huge and is by far the largest one at the wildlife refuge. The nest has been used for many years and each year the eagles seem to add another layer to it. It was very easy to spot this eagle, because its bright white head was sticking prominently out of the nest.

When the eagles begin incubating the eggs, however, they hunker down in the deep nest and it is usually impossible to know for certain when they are present. During that period of time I will sometimes watch and wait, hoping to be there for the “changing of the guard,” when one member of the couple takes over duties from the other, but I have been lucky enough to be there only a few times when that happened. Otherwise I have to wait for the eaglets to get big enough to poke their little heads out of the top edge of the nest.

On another part of the refuge, barriers have now gone up to protect the nesting eagles at that location. That nest is adjacent to one of the trails, whereas the large nest pictured here is far enough away from the trail that the authorities do not seem to think that the eagles require additional protection.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

Read Full Post »

It won’t be long before the Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) begin to incubate their eggs at one of several nests of which I am aware at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The smallest nest was used for the first time last year and I was curious to see if the eagles would return to it. I was therefore quite happy to spot an eagle on Tuesday perched in that nest in what looks to be a sycamore tree. Usually eagles sit much lower in the nest when there are eggs present, so I suspect that this eagle was checking out the nest, possible as a prelude to renovating or enlarging it.

I was a pretty good distance away from the eagle and was partially hidden by vegetation and trying to be stealthy, but the eagle detected my presence. I captured the second image right after the eagle flew out of the nest. I managed to get only a single decent shot, because the eagle descended and was immediately hidden by the abundant branches—if the eagle had flown upwards I might have had a better chance of getting several clear shots.

Last year the authorities at the refuge eventually blocked the trail on which I was traveling to keep the eagles from being disturbed during the nesting season. I would not surprised to find the trail blocked the next time I visit the refuge. During the period of time before the trees begin to leaf out, I may still be able to keep track of the nest, albeit from a slightly greater distance from it.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

Read Full Post »