After Molly had her “Swim With the Loons” two mornings ago, I doubted whether Northstar Lake would have anything equally exciting for me yesterday morning. However, one should never doubt nature. After HUGE thunderstorms blew through the night previously with over 3 inches of rain and downed trees, the sun finally came out at 9 am. I decided upon a pontoon boat ride to check out my local eagles. I have been surprised that the one eaglet present had not yet fledged.
I think Mom Bald Eagle was tired of waiting for her offspring to fly, and yesterday morning was the big event. I was actually surprised to see how well and often the Bald Eagle chick flew on its first morning. After all, it was only a few months ago I watched Hoot, my Great Horned Owl chick make its first short and very brief flights. It was quite apparent that eagles are made for soaring and gliding, whereas owls are not! The parent eagle would glide by the youngster … making sure to caught its attention, but then land 200 yards distant. If the kid wanted food, it had to move / fly.
The other surprise of the morning was watching one of the Bald Eagle parents dry its feathers in the sun (remember … 3+ inches of rain). While I have often watched cormorants dry their feathers after fishing, I had never seen an eagle strike up the same pose!
Bald Eagle Chick (just after its first flight … begging for some food in the first image)
Drying Feathers!
Bald Eagle Back in the Nest Tree
