Laura Brownlee's Natural Expressions: Bald Eagle Series, Part I

Not to get all "National Geographic" on you.....   But here's the deal:

I spent every afternoon this past week observing Bald Eagles, with the hope of coming away with a few photographs that might capture the beauty and majesty of Our Nation's symbol. What I didn't expect, however, was to actually witness so much more than a few glimpses, and I wound up coming away with hundreds of still photos depicting the adventurous life of the Bald Eagle! Behind my lens, I caught them engaged in the following situations:

          in flight
          locking talons in both defense and courtship modes
          guarding the nest
          soaring
          preening
          copulation
          defecation
          sipping snowmelt off the lake
          vocalization
          waitful perching

…just to name a few of the activities that took place over the last few days. I’m now amazed and overwhelmed at the depth of what I experienced! Also this week, I spent hours researching and understanding Bald Eagle behaviors to better grasp what was actually going on in the pictures I took. (For instance, copulation doesn’t necessarily take place in mid-air; in fact, most of the resources show it occurring on tree branches, in nests (which I believe I witnessed) and even on the ground (such as on the frozen lake—images I captured on the last day, if indeed they copulate several times during their mating period; none of my research confirms that, although my photographs do!) I’m also surprised (but not really) at how many youtube videos there are of Bald Eagles mating that I came across while browsing more authoritive sites!

Anyway… the equipment I currently use was not quite fully up to the job with the distance shots, so while the content is there, some of the images lack the quality I wish it had.

Please feel free to share any knowledge you might have—I’m open to receiving any information I can get my hands on. I will begin this series with a blurb of information I came across:

Pair-bonding in bald eagles involves several things - most notably of which are the aerial displays that accompany the ritual. One bird will dive on another and, at the last second, the bird being "attacked" will turn over on its back and extend its talons into the air. Contact between the two birds is rare. Even as dramatic as these displays may be, they are usually short-lived and infrequent. And it is not always adult birds seen doing this. In fact, it is usually two immature birds, or an adult and a subadult bird. The extent of most displays is generally just two birds soaring together or chasing each other.

In chases, one bird will chase after the other, usually in a rather shallow glide. It is also not uncommon to see them switch places during chases. They might also be seen passing sticks in mid-air. But the most thrilling display of all is when they actually lock talons in mid-air and tumble down or swirl around and around as they fall, breaking apart when they sometimes seem to be dangerously close to the ground.

The final sight that would signify pair-bonding is side-by-side perching. This usually happens in the near vicinity of the nest, sometimes on the nest itself. They may even lie in the nest right next to each other.

Copulation usually occurs (no matter what Hollywood might portray) at the nest. The male will simply mount the female to make contact. The whole thing lasts just seconds. After copulation the pair might perch next to each other for a half hour or so, sometimes preening themselves and each other. They also might be seen rearranging nest material during this time.

The first thing I noticed on the first day, was an intruder to the nesting scene! Or so I thought. I later learned that it was a juvenile Bald Eagle in it's mottled immature stage. (And please, anyone correct me if necessary! I welcome it!)