BALD EAGLES NESTING ON MY PROPERTY

[scratch'n'peck]

A little belatedly...just to say I have been updating my knowledge of what has been happening in my absence...this is an amazing story...thanks so much for imparting your wonderful images and knowledge of this incredible event!

Suzie

Suzie, it is good to see you back on BYC. I missed you in your absence.

The seasonal cycle carries on here. Why does it still astonish me? Although the juvenile eagles have dispersed, the parents stay around their territory year round, and occasionally I hear them in the distance. Hopefully they will chose to use the same nest. If so, they will start adding sticks to their nest some time in November. I will continue to add updates to to this thread whether it is news of this eagle pair or perhaps other raptors, since these resident eagles have inspired my current fascination with birds of prey.

 

[Suzie]

I am addicted to the thread you have created... hopefully in November you may see some activity in new nesting...do you know why they start nest building at such an unusual time of year? I always thought ( in my ignorance) that all birds started nest building in Spring....

Thanks my friend for your kind words.... I have missed you too!

I am spending time catching up on so many events evolving on BYC....I have subscribed to your thread and it is great to be able to read up on all of the developments I have missed over the last six months on your thread!

 

[scratch'n'peck]

Bald Eagle nesting time can vary quite a bit depending on whether the pair stays on their territory year round or if they migrate. Here is a link that shows nesting times by region in the USA: http://www.fws.gov/midwest/eagle/pdf/nest-seasons.pdf

There is a non-migrating pair in Iowa who have a nest camera who are already adding sticks to their nest, but they will not lay eggs until Late February or March. I can be an eagle addict enabler by recommending the public facebook page where you can see updates on this pair: https://www.facebook.com/Raptor-Resource-Project-103786266324668/


Catch up on BYC first. You have all winter to see videos of the pair in Iowa, but there are some great videos and photos.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

Although I have not been keeping up with posting about the nesting eagle pair and the third wheel eagle, they are here maintaining the nest, and it is possible that the female has laid an egg this week. I was thrilled to get a photo documenting the three adult bald eagles on a perch within sight of the nest a few weeks ago. All three eagles have been in the habit of visiting the nest before roosting in the same tree for the night. In fact, I was quite surprised to see one eagle mounted by first one male and then the other presumably male landing beside them and mounting the female who was perched in the center. However as the anticipated date of lay has neared, the trio have not been spotted together, and eagle mating behavior before roosting time has stopped in the last few days.

Here is the photo of the eagle trio. If we have two males and one female, then the female is the largest one near the end of the branch.


Here is one of the eagles collecting soft lining for the nest bowl.

 

[NickyKnack]

Very interesting behavior. There has been cases of two male lions ruling a pride. Usually they are brothers. I wonder if this is the case.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

Very interesting behavior. There has been cases of two male lions ruling a pride. Usually they are brothers. I wonder if this is the case.

There is a lot to wonder about with this eagle trio. Male eagles tend to pick a nesting territory that is not too far from the nest where they hatched, so the brother theory makes sense in that respect. Of course there isn't any way to know for sure, and I couldn't find much on polyandrous eagle trios on the internet. They are thought to be rare. It seems like there is a primary pair that tolerates the the presence of the other male, and last year this third eagle seemed less welcome at the nest once eggs were laid.

 

[NickyKnack]

There is a lot to wonder about with this eagle trio.  Male eagles tend to pick a nesting territory that is not too far from the nest where they hatched, so the brother theory makes sense in that respect.  Of course there isn't any way to know for sure, and I couldn't find much on polyandrous eagle trios on the internet.  They are thought to be rare.  It seems like there is a primary pair that tolerates the other male last year the third eagle seemed less welcome at the nest once eggs were laid.  

That'll be interesting to see if it plays true this year as well.

 

[huntingirl]

This is sooo amazing!!!! I mean, how often does an eagle nest in your yard? They will most likely be there for the rest of their lives. The babies will come back and nest near their birth place. Did you know an eagles nest can weigh up to 2000 pounds??? They never stop building on to it. Please keep posting. This is awesome

 

[Outpost JWB]

I love the trio pic, well, all the pics for that matter. Learning a lot from this thread.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

This is sooo amazing!!!! I mean, how often does an eagle nest in your yard? They will most likely be there for the rest of their lives. The babies will come back and nest near their birth place. Did you know an eagles nest can weigh up to 2000 pounds??? They never stop building on to it. Please keep posting. This is awesome

I feel lucky to be able to watch the eagles, and they have inspired me to read about eagles and check out various raptor nest camera on line. I know their nests can get humongous, and I worry about the tree holding the weight of the nest on windy days in particular. But at least I can be confident that this area will remain their territory for as long as they live.