Jan 26, 2013, 1:20 PM

[hall48]

Stopped by the nest site around 1:20 PM today. No adult eagles to be seen anywhere around the nest. The chick was very active, moving from the east to the west side of the nest and flapping its wings. The pine branches were particularly bothersome today and obscured the eaglet from view on many of the images I made today.
After about 20 minutes, one adult eagle landed on a branch directly above the nest and stayed there for close to 10 minutes before flying off.  An adult returned to the nest shortly thereafter with what appeared to be a small bird as prey. It ate and fed the chick and was still on the nest when I left around 2:30 PM.

David

[Mike Fossler]

Seems pretty obvious it's one eaglet this year.

[hall48]

It certainly does appear that way Mike. I am glad to see the single click be so active. Each time I have visited the nest site this year the chick has made an appearance and when the adults were not on the nest it was very active.
David

[Trisha]

Great reporting!   You are so right about the activity level of this eaglet. Considering my past years of observing the nest I have never seen a young eaglet so active. Even in its first days it was all over the nest...its little head popping up first on the left....then all the way on the right!  It was peeking over the rim very early on as well and getting very high up in the nest so you see its whole body....as you caught so well!  Seems to be a very healthy, inquisitive little eaglet!

[hall48]

My thoughts exactly Trisha! I have observed the same behavior. The eaglet is all over the nest. I have come to the comclusion that the East side of the nest must not be as deep, or is at least build up more inside, as when the eaglet goes to that side of the nest it is always higher in the nest and MUCH more visible.
Darned if that side of the nest isn't nearly always more hidden from camera biew by the pine needles from branches hanging down from above of from the side. I'll bet I had 60 photos from yesterday alone that demonstrated the eaglet almost completey exposed at or even above the rim of the nest, flapping its wings and throwing back its head and looking both east and west, but all were so superimposed with pine needles that they were either blurred or just covered up. UGGH!
Still a ton of fun to watch it all happening through the lens of the camera, even when the images are not of a quality I find acceptable.
David