August 4th and 6th: Adult Bald Eagles over west Miramar

[NewMexiKen]

Adult eagles are appearing quite regularly over the wetlands of west Miramar, about 1 1/2 miles southeast of the Pines nest. It is not unusual for the south Florida adult eagles to spend the summer near the nest. Juveniles and older immature birds tend to migrate north in late spring to seek cooler waters where fish may be found closer to the surface.

I have been seeing them around sunrise, perhaps only because I do not get out to the wetlands during the heat of the day. They regularly fly to the southeast towards the large lake in the Sunset Lakes subdivision, where they sometimes have been seen roosting on the lighthouse in the small island.

On August 4 a large eagle which was presumably the female (Jewel) flew over at 6:43 AM, 5 minutes before sunrise:





Then on August 6th an adult (very possibly the male, Pride) appeared at 6:42 AM, 7 minutes before sunrise. It was carrying an unidentified prey item, possibly a fish. My photos were poor because the bright sky was behind the subject:





On July 28 a smaller adult appeared at 6:38 AM, 7 minutes before sunrise, also possibly the male (Pride). It was quite far away but following a similar course to the southeast. Note that the molt pattern on its wingtips is practically identical to that of the August 6 sighting:



Note that this new sub-Forum will document late summer and 2019-2020 breeding season sightings. Records for the past seasons are all ARCHIVED at this link BELOW.

The spreadsheet has been updated to include all significant observations of prior breeding seasons since 2008-2009. It may be viewed at THIS LINK