Whoohoo! I am excited to report that following the death of the female at my favorite bald eagle nest late last year, a new one has recently been hanging out with the male.
A month or so ago, while looking at the nest from a very long distance, I thought I saw two eagles there but when I got closer, there were none to be found. My friend then reported that last weekend there were indeed two at the site. Yesterday I hiked in to see for myself and sure enough, the male seems to have a new girlfriend.
She only did one flyby before perching across the river but the pair spent a good bit of time hanging out together. He seemed to be trying to impress her by doing some nest maintenance, showing her it would make a fine home.
Will the pair connect in time to have young ones yet this year? That is unknown. It is kind of late as most nested eagles are already sitting on eggs now but it could yet happen. If not, it does at least bode well for the nest’s future.
If you look close at the picture, you will notice she has some darker colored areas on her cheek behind her eye. That would indicate she has just turned five years old and reached full maturity.
I am keeping my fingers crossed!
For those unfamiliar, I sadly discovered the previous female dead, beneath one of their favorite trees. Working with Colorado Parks & Wildlife, we retrieved the carcass and it was determined she had died from the bird flu that has been running rampant through bird populations across the nation. You can read the full story here.
