For Wild Bird Wednesday and Nature Notes
Our neighborhood eaglets have left the nest. Hope and Honor hatched the week of New Year's Day. Both flew to neighboring trees within a couple hours of each other yesterday (Monday) morning.
I wasn't out early enough to see their very first flights, but was there early in the afternoon.
Hope (or maybe it was Honor) was perched in this tree about 90 yards from the nest. She (or maybe he; nobody knows for sure) seemed to be a little hesitant to take off again. Other watchers said she'd been there for a couple of hours.
She would spread those magnificent wings and fly to the end of the branch. Once she flew up and bumped her head on the little branch above. And then, as her adoring audience watched, she sort-of tiptoed out to the end of the branch and ... just flew away. Clear across the pasture and into the neighboring woodsy area.
You can go to the Southwest Florida Eagles Facebook page or the many YouTube links to see wonderful photos and videos that others -- with better cameras and faster reaction times -- have taken. But I watched her first long flight and wanted to share a little of the awe-inspiring moment.
Here are the eaglets one week ago yesterday. At that stage, they were practicing to fly by "branching"...kind of flapping up to the branches above the nest and then exercising their wings while sitting there.
On that day, I saw both Ozzie and Harriet (the parents) perched on nearby trees as they watched the nestlings learn. Yesterday, I saw one of them drop off a fish lunch (the other eaglet had returned to the nest). The parents will continue to bring food to the nest for about a week and the newly-fledged eagles will return for food every once in a while as they learn to make their own living out in the great wide world.
Thank you to STEWART for hosting WILD BIRD WEDNESDAY and to MICHELLE for NATURE NOTES. Click the links! You'll be glad you did.
How wonderful to watch eagles so closely...love them. We have eagles across the street at the lake but they only fly high overhead sometimes.
Posted by: Donna@Gardens Eye View | March 31, 2013 at 02:23 PM
What a wonderful post and it is just such a wonderful thing being able to watch this kind of nature unfold...beautiful. Happy soaring and long life young Eagles...fly safe~
Posted by: Mary Howell Cromer | March 29, 2013 at 04:51 AM
Happy landings to those beautiful birds!
Posted by: SandyCarlson | March 28, 2013 at 05:58 PM
Thanks a lot, Sallie, to have share with us this wonderful adventure ! Poor (or happy ?) Ozzie and Harriett with their empty nest : a whole life to reorganize !
Posted by: Annie | March 28, 2013 at 09:51 AM
How exciting to watch from newly hatched to fledglings... Thanks for sharing!
Posted by: Rebecca | March 28, 2013 at 06:32 AM
Dearest Sallie,
Wow, I truly enjoyed the pictures and the adult one♬♬♬
I've never seen Eagles before; they sure look brave and happy for their fledging well.
Sending you lots of love and hugs from Japan, xoxo Miyako*
Posted by: Yamda Miyako (orchid) | March 27, 2013 at 05:42 PM
Aaahhh...we enjoyed watching them when they were newly hatched. I'm glad they made it and are on their own now. Great photos!
Posted by: Lavender Dreams | March 27, 2013 at 05:35 PM
how majestic they are... thank you so much for sharing with us:-)
Posted by: Laura Hegfield | March 27, 2013 at 02:42 PM
Absolutely brilliant photos and post, and how very exciting to see them fledge.
Posted by: Denise | March 27, 2013 at 11:33 AM
Great series!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.
Posted by: Boom & Gary | March 27, 2013 at 11:20 AM
What a fabulous thing to watch!
Posted by: Jennifer | March 27, 2013 at 09:09 AM
It must have been wonderful to watch the progress of those chicks and then see them successfully fledge into the big wide world.
Posted by: Phil | March 27, 2013 at 05:30 AM
Congrats Sallie- you must have been thrilled to capture both Hope and Honor after they fledged. Thanks for sharing your fantastic shots.
Posted by: Pam :) | March 27, 2013 at 04:43 AM
I have to wonder how long the post on my "wordy" blog would be if I got to watch eagles learn to fly! What a great thing to see!
Cheers and thanks for linking to WBW - Stewart M - Melbourne
Posted by: Stewart M | March 27, 2013 at 02:42 AM
Happy Days - nature at its finest
Posted by: Dave | March 27, 2013 at 02:16 AM
Wow ! you have interesting neighbors ! I don't even remember when I have seen an eagle except in a zoo !
Posted by: Gattina | March 27, 2013 at 02:12 AM
Wonderful shots of eagles. I t is delight to watch them.
Posted by: Rajesh | March 27, 2013 at 12:25 AM
This must have been a very rewarding experience for you to watch the development of the eaglets. A little bit sad when watching them fly away I suspect. Nature is wonderful.
Posted by: diane | March 27, 2013 at 12:23 AM
SUPER ich liebe diese Greifvögel und der Adler ist schon ein Besonderer
DANKE für diese wunderschönen Bilder
LG vom katerchen
Posted by: katerchen | March 27, 2013 at 12:09 AM
Thank you for this interesting account of the young eagles leaving their nest. It must be wonderful to see this all happening. We never see those big birds here. The biggest birds are the seagulls and crows. It is still very cold here, so we have to feed the small singing birds as we do in winter.
Have a wonderful day!
Wil, ABCW Team.
Posted by: Reader Wil | March 26, 2013 at 11:49 PM
you got some great shots...it is amazing that they fledged so early as ours our in mating season and some in egg laying. It is wonderful to be able to see them fledge, so glad you like eagles too.
Posted by: islandrambles | March 26, 2013 at 10:43 PM
Wow! Such amazing and beautiful creatures!
Posted by: pat | March 26, 2013 at 10:11 PM
Wow - What an amazing sight!
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Posted by: ladyfi | March 26, 2013 at 09:21 PM
Would love to have a chance to see these majestic eagles up close. Amazing you saw the whole cycle of the eaglets.
Posted by: eastcoastlife | March 26, 2013 at 09:09 PM
It's amazing how fast they grew! Seems like yesterday their eyes were barely open.
Great post!
Posted by: Wally | March 26, 2013 at 08:23 PM
How nice to be able to watch their success.. long may they fly...Michelle
Posted by: RamblingWoods | March 26, 2013 at 06:59 PM
Great pics, some eagle tough love.
Posted by: Yogi | March 26, 2013 at 06:45 PM
How cool to have witnessed the whole cycle!
Posted by: Karen | March 26, 2013 at 06:39 PM
What a treat to see those beautiful birds.
Posted by: Carver | March 26, 2013 at 06:05 PM
This has been so exciting. I've been following their journey on Twitter since you first posted about them. They are very good at updating on Twitter. Must've been a thrill to see them flying off. Wow, I can only imagine. Great pics and wonderful post, Sallie!
Posted by: Gail Dixon | March 26, 2013 at 05:30 PM
Such a great post. I love eagles. They're such majestic birds.
Posted by: Dana | March 26, 2013 at 05:25 PM
What an awesome thing to see and photograph. I often wonder how it must feel to be a bird flying high above the ground, in complete control.
Posted by: Al | March 26, 2013 at 04:53 PM
You are so lucky to be able to witness these beautiful birds in action, and to see their progress.
Posted by: Karen | March 26, 2013 at 04:06 PM
Cool watching their progress, I am so happy the eaglets are doing so well. And the parents are beautiful. Great shots and post, Sallie!
Posted by: Eileen | March 26, 2013 at 03:03 PM
I have yet to see the eagles, especially the endangered ones.
Hahaha, I am slowly learning my bird names. I missed last Saturday's bird hike, because I was in the farm. I will try!
Posted by: Ebie | March 26, 2013 at 02:26 PM
Such a nice history and very interesting to read about the young eagles! Touching to know they come back to the nest for food once and a while! :) I find your photos both interesting and informative, Sallie!
Greetings Pia
Posted by: Pia, Sweden | March 26, 2013 at 12:31 PM
so very, very cool! i hope they prosper!
Posted by: TexWisGirl | March 26, 2013 at 12:23 PM
Great photos - wonderful to be able to watch such a great event.
Posted by: Mick | March 26, 2013 at 12:00 PM
What a wonderful experience that must have been to see these majestic 'babies' begin to make there way out into the world. Baby eagles with wonderful names - gives me goosebumps.
You got a great shot of the adult too.
Posted by: Carletta | March 26, 2013 at 11:00 AM
I bet Ozzie and Harriet are proud, PROUD parents!
Posted by: EG CameraGirl , Canada | March 26, 2013 at 10:02 AM
Must be magic to actually watch all this happening! Thank you so much for the photos and commentary.
Posted by: HAZEL | March 26, 2013 at 09:53 AM