DEC 14: Both on nest; incubation proceeding

[NewMexiKen]

On December 14 at about 10:00 AM I found both adults on the nest. At first I could only see the head of the male (Pride).



He suddenly stood up and then flew to the nest support branch on the right.













Only after he left the nest did I notice the tail of the female (Jewel) over to the right side. Her tail and wingtips are visible. My earlier photos show a bit of white over to the right but I did not see any movement and assumed it was probably some prey remains. She remained deep in the nest for the next 30 minutes, until I departed at about 10:45 AM.



The date of onset of incubation is uncertain, as both of the eagles were seen off the nest together for some time about a week before. They had been observed copulating during the first week of December. Our best guess is that the first egg may have been laid around December 7. If so, the eggs would begin hatching 5 weeks later, around January 11.