Well, a bit of a bittersweet time this morning at my favorite bald eagle nest.
I arrived at dawn to see the juvenile had hopped its way about 20 feet from the nest but still in the nest tree. I couldn’t get a good view but I waited, hoping the parents would arrive. After about a half hour, the young one got very active, flapped its wings and went down the backside of the nest tree.
I knew where it was headed – Dad and Mom’s favorite perch across the river. Sure enough, there it was, hanging out and enjoying a beautiful, Colorado morning.
While I am excited for it to have fledged and taken this major step, I can’t help but be a bit sad. It will linger in the nest area through the summer but it won’t be constrained to the nest tree and that will make seeing it and photographing it difficult.
I am consoled though by the fact that this is yet another example of the awesome recovery the bald eagle has taken from the brink of extinction and I am privileged to have been able to witness it.
