Bald Eagle nest in back yard

[Isaac-1]

Hi, I hope it is ok for me to post here as I do not live in Florida, instead I live in rural western Louisiana about 80 miles inland along the path devastated by hurricane Laura last summer.  I have a pair of bald eagles building a nest in a pine tree in my backyard, about 300 feet from my back door (based on google satellite view measurement tool)  I don't know if this is a young pair building a first nest, or an older pair building a new nest because the tree their old one was in was felled by Laura (estimates are something like $1.2 Billion in timber was destroyed by Laura, around 1 in 4 large trees damaged of felled).  We have been seeing bald eagles with increasing frequency the last few years, with one being seen from the house multiple times per week the last couple of years, there are multiple known nests along the shores of a mid sized lake about 3-4 miles away from the house.

Anyway I am posting here as I have not found any more appropriate web forum out there to discus photographing, observing and discussing southern bald eagle nests.  If you know of any others please let me know.

I am attaching a couple of photos I have taken of the eagles since new years, one was taken just before sunset yesterday.

The photo on the nest was taken with a 24X superzoom camera then cropped for size, the one of the eagle on the post was taken from about 100 feet away out on my cell phone out the window of my car (I had to drive by the post to get out of my driveway).  I drove slowly but when I was about 75 feet away the eagle took off, circled while I drove down the road, and landed back by post.  That was the second time yesterday I saw it on that post, perhaps it will be back there today and I can get a better photo using a better camera.

[NewMexiKen]

Those are excellent photos, Isaac. That is the female eagle on the nest, as evidenced by the fact that the gape (corner) of her large bill extends back all the way under her eye. That of the smaller male usually does not extend beyond about 1/4 to 1/2 of the way under his eye.

You are so lucky having the nest so close to your home. I hope you will be able to document many events in the lives of the pair. You might consider reaching out to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries-- their Facebook page is here: https://www.facebook.com/ldwffb/ as well as Audubonn Louisiana at https://www.facebook.com/audubonlouisiana

Members of this FORUM will be very interested in hearing more about these eagles as they hopefully progress to lay eggs and rais a family. If they succeed they will very likely continue to use this nest in future breeding seasons. This is presently the best sub-Forum to use, but all subscribers are able to access it and add their comment.

I lived in New Orleans during Hurricane Camille, which at the time was the strongest storm to ever hit that city. We in Florida also appreciate how hurricanes can ravage natural habitats.

Thank you for joining our group! <\b>

Isaac-1 wrote

Hi, I hope it is ok for me to post here as I do not live in Florida, instead
I live in rural western Louisiana about 80 miles inland along the path
devastated by hurricane Laura last summer.  I have a pair of bald eagles
building a nest in a pine tree in my backyard, about 300 feet from my back
door (based on google satellite view measurement tool)  I don't know if this
is a young pair building a first nest, or an older pair building a new nest
because the tree their old one was in was felled by Laura (estimates are
something like $1.2 Billion in timber was destroyed by Laura, around 1 in 4
large trees damaged of felled).  We have been seeing bald eagles with
increasing frequency the last few years, with one being seen from the house
multiple times per week the last couple of years, there are multiple known
nests along the shores of a mid sized lake about 3-4 miles away from the
house.

Anyway I am posting here as I have not found any more appropriate web forum
out there to discus photographing, observing and discussing southern bald
eagle nests.  If you know of any others please let me know.

I am attaching a couple of photos I have taken of the eagles since new
years, one was taken just before sunset yesterday.

The photo on the nest was taken with a 24X superzoom camera then cropped for
size, the one of the eagle on the post was taken from about 100 feet away
out on my cell phone out the window of my car (I had to drive by the post to
get out of my driveway).  I drove slowly but when I was about 75 feet away
the eagle took off, circled while I drove down the road, and landed back by
post.  That was the second time yesterday I saw it on that post, perhaps it
will be back there today and I can get a better photo using a better camera.

Quoted from:
http://bald-eagles-of-broward-county-florida.1638815.n2.nabble.com/Bald-Eagle-nest-in-back-yard-tp7575764.html

[Isaac-1]

Here are a couple of more photos from today, this time using a slightly better though still 8 year old superzoom camera, unfortunately I could not get  a good photo showing both by the nest at the same time as the view of their faces were  blocked by foreground pine limbs regardless of the angle I tried.

p.s. can someone explain the eagle calls to me, it seems when there is one near the nest it sometimes calls to the other, then within a minute or so the second one will fly over to perch near the nest.

[NewMexiKen]

Good question, Isaac--

Adult Bald Eagles may call anywhere and any time except during the night. Nestlings give out a loud cheeping sound. The male juveniles are said to have higher pitched calls than the females. Individual adults may be identified by differences between their calls (amost the same way individual whales are identified on sonograms). You may notice this when you hear both calling simultaneously. They call very loudly together in courtship and when copulating, also often when exchanging incubation duties.  

From Cornell Lab "Birds of the World:"

"Three distinctive calls described with sonograms by Verner and Lehman (154), based on human approach to nesting birds. “Wail” seldom given; “peal” often given in response to human approach, consists of high-pitched, prolonged, gull-like cry often repeated 3–5 times. Chatter Call (Figure 3A), most common response, usually consists of 3 or 4 introductory notes separated by short gaps of silence (< 1 s) followed by a rapid sequence of descending notes, usually 6–9 notes in call sequence (kwit kwit kwit kwit kee-kee-kee-kee-ker).

"Female will give single, soft, high-pitched note repeated several times, unlike any other calls in nature; apparently signals to male readiness for copulation (155). Territorial adult emits “threat vocalization,” a high-pitched peal (Figure 3B), when other birds or humans approach nest site as defense mechanism (12). Will also emit a short, staccato Hic Call while circling over nests (156). Male and female often vocalize after returning to nest, suggestive of some form of greeting but actual function unknown. Individuals also give threat vocalization (“peal”) to fend off attack at communal feeding sites (127)."

Ref: Buehler, D. A. (2020). Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (A. F. Poole and F. B. Gill, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.baleag.01