This lady is absolutely gorgeous and by all appearances a great mom. From my local nest, this is the female Bald Eagle as she returns from a quick flight stretching those massive wings. It is interesting to watch and observe the differences between the two parents. She is quite laid back, not paying much attention to anything other than her eaglet. He, one the other hand, is constantly chattering anytime a perceived threat comes nearby, keeps his distance from the nest most of the time, and just seems kind of uptight.
My how big you have gotten!
I finally got my first good look at the eaglet at my local Bald Eagle nest. “Junior” seems to be doing quite well and already is quite big. He / she stuck its head up a few times and even did some flapping of its wings. As you can tell though, while there are some feathers, it is still very much covered in down.
Judging by when I first saw mama sitting on the nest back in February, then allowing 35 days for incubation, I am guessing the little one is now about 6 weeks old. In another couple of weeks, it will start doing a lot more flapping, perhaps even lift itself into the air a bit. First flight usually occurs between 10 and 13 weeks at which time it will also be pretty much fully grown.
And S T R E T C H….
It always seems odd to see what of these big raptors do this but it is fun too. This female Bald Eagle had spent quite a bit of time just sitting and decided this was a good way to get the blood flowing. The image gives a nice look at the long wings and those talons. If you want more Bald Eagle images, head here.
Mama makes some noise
This female Bald Eagle might have just been happy about not being stuck on the nest anymore. Her little one hatched a few weeks ago and that has given her some freedom to move around after spending 35 days almost entirely sitting in the nest.
She never strays far though, keeping close watch and protecting her offspring. Here she is perched on a branch only a few feet from the nest where the eaglet is. Dad was in a tree 50 yards away and calling so she returned the favor with some vocalization of her own.
This image was taken this past Sunday and unfortunately I never did get a good view of the baby raptor. I could see its back as it moved around but that was about it. Hopefully on my next visit I will get a nice look at it.
Panoramic Bald Eagle scream
Flying right at me making a lot of noise, this male wanted to make sure I knew it was there. Of course I am not sure how I could possibly miss this massive raptor. I cropped this image into a panorama format which really helps to draw attention the the details – and that huge wingspan.
“Hi, honey! I’m home!”
A male Bald Eagle prepares to make a landing next to its mate in this image for Freedom Friday.
It has been an absolutely joy getting to watch this pair over recent weeks. Most Bald Eagles have left Colorado for the season and headed north. The ones that remain are mostly mated pairs that have seen the arrival of little ones over the past week or two. These two though appear not to have been successful with a nest but have chosen to stick around the Centennial State anyway, at least so far.
I have found them frequently at a state park where they are more than willing to pose and occasionally put on a bit of an airshow. I love the determined look on the male’s face as he comes in for a landing and the image does a nice job showcasing that massive 6-foot-wide wingspan and those impressive talons.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
It’s a boy! Or it’s a girl! Either way I am absolutely ecstatic!
This afternoon I went and checked on the local Bald Eagle nest. Dad was standing watch on the rim and I wasn’t really seeing much but figured there had to be at least one eaglet in there. Finally I saw some movement and in his shadow I see the little bobble head! After a while, Mom returned and as she did, I got a good pic of the tiny raptor. Heavily cropped but isn’t it cute! I can’t wait to watch it grow up!
Bald Eagle brings home sushi for breakfast
After sitting stubbornly for two hours during which the photographer grew more and more bored (haha), this female finally decided it was time for action. She headed off to a nearby pond, snagged a fish from it, and then was kind enough to fly right by me showcasing her meal.
This raptor is one of a pair of eagles that has been hanging out at a local state park and has given me some nice photo ops over the past few weekends. They do appear to be a mated pair however, there is no nest nearby and if there were, they would certainly be hanging out there. I have to assume they were simply unsuccessful at mating this year so are spending their time hanging out in the park.
That moment when the wife comes home and she is not happy at all
That moment when the wife comes home and she is not happy at all. I’m just going to go over here… 😀
This pair of Bald Eagles was quite animated on this day a few weeks ago. I think she was ‘feeling in the mood’ but for whatever reason he wasn’t interested. More than once she would call and come close to him and he would ease his way away. I don’t know. Maybe he had a headache?
Keeping an eye on the sky while in flight
Such a beautiful lady, eh? This female Bald Eagle has become a local resident as she and her mate have established a home along the South Platte River not far from where I live. I took this picture in mid-February as the pair did some home repair and got things ready for a new arrival (or two or three).
Soon after she began sitting on the nest, presumably incubating eggs. When I checked on her earlier this week, she was still sitting on there but by now there should be at least one eaglet beneath her. Dad was nearby perched on a tree overlooking river. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a lot of time to hang around but will definitely be paying another visit soon.