on the hunt - 285

[earthmother45]

They are not only back, but the eagle mates have reclaimed their old nest. I had to go out east a few days ago and thought I’d check on one of eagle’s nests that I watched last year. This happens to be the nest that the great horned owls took from the eagle mates last December/January (maybe you remember when I posted about that

Comments

[brotherskeeper1]

Awesome photos! That eagle sits so proudly!

I have seen Bald Eagles only twice in my life.

[earthmother45]

Thank you!
I have been following and photographing eagles for several years now. They are one of my favorite birds.

[egg_shell]

That middle one - the close-up is amazing. I hope they don't have to fight off the owls again.

[earthmother45]

Oh, I hope so much they don't have to either. When I saw them back, I wondered if they recall or have any memory of what happened at their nest last year. The one outside the nest just looks like he's saying, "nobody is going to mess with my nest this year."

Hey, did you see my post about the frogs in the pony tail palm tree?

[egg_shell]

I'm glad you drew my attention to it - some how I had missed it.

[kabuldur]

I think the eagles would remember where their nest was from last year. I hope the owls don't chase them off again, too!

I find your trees fascinating. They are full of what we call 'air plants' here. I wonder if they bother the tree at all? It is like the tree has its dancing skirts on.

[earthmother45]

They migrate away from here to the north in the summer and seem to return back to the same nest, so they do have a good memory, but I wonder if they would have any recollection of the "owl takeover." I'm hoping to get back out there next week.

I recall you have always loved what we call "Spanish moss" here...it is an air plant that literally drips from the trees...mostly pines and live oaks.
My book says: "it is not a true moss (mosses have no flowers) but it is a bromeliad. Spanish moss has tiny yellow/green blooms which appear in the summer and are not generally noticed. It formerly had some value as furniture stuffing. Spanish moss is not a parasite, but simply uses the tree as a support. It can get thick enough to damage a tree, but does not kill the trees as is commonly believed." Here in the South, it is such a common thing to see.

[seekerval]

Great to see the eagles have reclaimed their own. In recent years, we fairly often get to see eagles flying as we drive country roads and on occasion they even fly over our city home. The Mississippi flows through the city only a couple of miles from our house and the eagles hunt the river. They always give us a thrill.

[earthmother45]

Seeing the eagles always gives me a thrill, too. I am so happy they have reclaimed their nest and hope it stays that way. I'm planning on heading out there next week to check on them. With Robinson Preserve just down the road from us, I'm seeing more and more eagles closer to us.

[mesmereyes]

omg I'm so in love! The only place I can see eagles is at the zoo about 10 minutes from here, but I can't afford it too often. No interesting animals/birds live around here. I would LOVE to see a nest like that!

[earthmother45]

Glad you like the eagles! I have been photographing them for several years now and I'm sure since they are starting to return I'll get more pictures of them. .

Florida is a birder's paradise! Strange for me to think of an eagle in a zoo.

[mesmereyes]

I know. Sometimes the zoo makes me sad because they're all closed up. On the other hand, our zoo seems to take very good care of the animals and at least they are safe. And I get to see many that I would ordinarily never see.