Eaglets Figuring Out Life

As my last email pointed out ‘The Narwhal’ published my photo essay on the Nith River bald eagles, July 11th,  –  a wonderful moment since it encapsulates six years of my experiences with the adult pair and their offspring.

I haven’t posted any more images on my website although I have been regularly visiting the eagles and their 2025 offspring – two eaglets. That was deliberate. I wanted to make sure the editors of The Narwhal had access to my most current images.

By chance a few weeks ago I chose a spot on the river which gives me a view of both the nest in which they were born and fledged as well as the older nest where they spend time waiting for the adults to come back with food. That happens to be in the tallest tree along the river offering an unobstructed view of the surrounding area.

Their excitement when they see an adult return with prey is a cue to raise my camera.

Those visits by the adults are very infrequent now and as a result I see the two eaglets regularly fly over my head and perch on a tree near ‘my spot’.

This eaglet flew in close to me then announced he/she was ready to be fed. The adults were nowhere to be seen.

Indeed, one night one of them landed in the tree barely twenty feet above me. Not wanting him/her to regret being so close I hastily retreated to another site putting space between us. As you will see in The Narwhal photo essay I have had amazing close-up encounters over the years by gaining trust and being patient.

While they still scream to be fed I have noticed one of them faces the river and takes great interest in movement in and around the river. Will I soon witness a hunt?

A couple of weeks ago one of the adults flew past the two eaglets while they perched in trees. It came within ten metres of me and dove towards the water then abruptly turned away. This, I believe was a hunting lesson for the youngsters. 

Wildlife photography is all about patience and learning behaviour of individual subjects. And lately it has been a bit of an endurance test too!

Is it just me or is the mosquito population bigger than ever? I have doused myself in repellant to no avail. It acts like an attractant. Then Friday I bought a useful tool – a mosquito net for my head.

The light is rather dim in this stretch of the river and the bugs eager to feast. But occasionally I have captured some decent images. 

After hearing his/her sibling in a tree nearby this one screams and sets off so as not to be alone.

The second eaglet returned to the nest and I could see it tearing up some food presumably scraps left over from a previous delivery from a parent. This one went to get his/her share but was rebuffed by the other one. After a brief squabble it was time to find another perch.

I look forward to upcoming encounters with these eaglets. If my luck holds out I am confident of more memorable moments.

                                                                                        -30-

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If you missed my photo essay I invite you to copy and paste this link:

https://thenarwhal.ca/bald-eagles-fly-ontario/ 

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