One eaglet seen, possible minor injury to female adult

[NewMexiKen]

This morning Mary Lou and I checked on the eagle nest at 10:00 AM. It was 50 degrees (F) with a brisk wind from the north. We immediately heard very loud cries coming from the nest. Both adults were together on a branch a few feet above the nest, flapping their wings and shrieking. There may have been a mating attempt, or they were fighting. Before I could raise my binoculars or camera, the female suddenly dropped directly down on the nest, not in controlled flight, and the calls stopped.



The male continued roosting above the nest for a few minutes while the female engaged in feeding the young chick(s). One chick popped its head up quite high, but had almost disappeared from sight when I took a few photos. Only the top of the head of one nestling was visible. The male then flew out towards the road and to the east, disappearing to the south at the corner of 208th Avenue.



Several of my photos strongly suggest that the female has been recently injured. Abrasions or small lacerations were visible both above and below the anterior brow. The lower injury was quite close to her left eye. Sometimes the birds get bloodied from dissecting prey, but this does not look like simple blood smear. I wish we had arrived just a couple of minutes earlier so we could better interpret the unusual behavior.



The female then settled down to shelter the eaglet, and almost disappeared from sight.