DFW Urban Wildlife

NOTE: This post is part of a continuing series of observations: [ First | << Prev | Next >>]

You might remember that the eagles gave us a little scare last week. Their unusual behavior had us momentarily worried that the nest might have failed, but as it turned out everything was ok.

Well, the eagles were behaving peculiarly again this week.

I arrived on site at approximately 9:00am and found both adult eagles at the nest. One was in the nest setting eggs, and the other was perched just above the nest on the framework of the transmission tower. This eagle had a mass of something clasped in its talons, which I first believed was a prey animal of some type. I was sure we were in for a really interesting show.

I brought my telephoto lens to bear in order to have a closer look at what the big eagle was clutching, and was surprised to see that looked to be nothing more than vegetation. I checked again, trying hard to see a fish or a coot, and still only saw grass and weeds. What was this all about?

The pair held their positions for several long minutes before the perched bird took to the air without bringing his cargo with him. The eagle disappeared over the eastern treeline as the vegetation he left behind slid of the superstructure and slowly drifted down to earth. Odd that the eagle would go to all the trouble to deliver the supposed nesting material only to let it fall away unused.

The rest of the morning was uneventful, as the incubating eagle continued diligently about its business.

The eggs should be hatching soon. I believe we are only looking at another week or two before we will have eaglets, though it may be several more weeks before we get a look at them in the now much larger and deeper nest.

NOTE: This post is part of a continuing series of observations: [ First | << Prev | Next >>]

Related Posts:

Bald Eagle – Nest: Week Four Bald Eagle – Nest: Week Six Evidence? Bald Eagle – Nest: Week Ten Bald Eagle – Nest: Week Eleven Bald Eagle – Nest: Week Twelve