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Thanks for the great information.
Lived in Boca Raton for almost 34 years (now in Cary, NC). Great to
see the eagles and Ospreys make the big comeback.
Tad Einloth
In a message dated 4/14/2013 5:14:00 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
[hidden email] writes: One of my projects has
been keeping watch over a Bald Eagle nest in neighboring Pembroke Pines. Over
five breeding seasons, since 2008, I have collected information about their
breeding activities. Dozens of other nest watchers who have an interest in
protecting their habitat and learning about the eagles' behavior contribute
their ground observations to my Pembroke Pines Eagle Nest Watch
FORUM, and I compile the data to obtain a broader picture of their
breeding biology. Here is a spreadsheet and a table comparing milestone events in
each breeding cycle.
Watching an eagle at
its nest can be like watching grass grow. Yet, sometimes subtle behavioral
changes can signal important events, such as the laying of the first egg and
its hatching. Although our attention may be focused on the eagle, we are not
oblivious to other happenings.
Once a hummingbird
appeared at the nest and perched right in front of an eagle as it was
incubating. It was so interesting to ponder the difference in size between
these two extremes that I totally forgot that I had a camera! Another time, an
Osprey angrily followed an eagle that was carrying a fish to the nest site.
Undoubtedly, the eagle had stolen its meal. Rather than flying directly to the
nest, the eagle circled and flew off out of sight, emerging a few minutes
later with the fish but without the Osprey.
However, I was lucky
enough to capture some unexpected scenes. Most recently was an encounter
between several Fish Crows and a Merlin, just one day after the single eaglet
had fledged and disappeared. The crows were harassing one of the adult eagles
as it was roosting near the nest. I interpreted this a a possible attempt to
distract the eagle so that others of the flock could steal remains of prey
that the adult had left in the nest to attract the missing
youngster.
The crows repeatedly
dived down just over the eagle's head whenever the eagle was occupied with
preening.
The eagle seemed only mildly
disturbed.
Just after I photographed
one of the crows there was a rush of wings from behind me.
A Merlin was in full pursuit
of the crow. I must apologize for the poor quality of my photos as the light
was harsh and I did not have time to switch my shutter
settings.
The crow headed for the
Merlin's favorite roosting place, but had to yield its perch under
attack.
The crow actually started
out after the Merlin!
The battle went on for
several minutes, the crow intent on returning to the falcon's favored
roost.
Finally the crows
relented and the Merlin settled down.
A couple of days before, a
Cattle Egret stole my attention as it chased after Halloween Pennant
dragonflies. The egret stealthily crept up on an insect (Click on the image to
see the location of its prey).
Success! (Note that the
egret has pinkish-orange breeding plumes).
Other incidental
sightings of note include this Swallow-tailed Kite that passed directly over
the eagle nest.
A pair of Red-shouldered
Hawks courted on a tall light fixture nearby.
A dark morph Short-tailed
Hawk, ready to pounce upon any unsuspecting smaller bird disguised
itself by soaring in a flock of vultures.
A Sharp-shinned Hawk
raced overhead.
A flock of Cedar Waxwings
once appeared against a rainy sky.
A Palm Warbler visited as I
watched the nest, up close and personal.
Flocks of long-legged
waders, such as these Wood Storks, flew overhead.
A colony of Monk Parakeets
occupied a nest on a light pole across the street from the
nest.
An oddity was this Northern
Mockingbird with a badly deformed bill. It was singing vigorously as I took
its picture.
A Gray Squirrel tight-roped
across in front of the eagle nest.
Some of the sightings
must be classified as "un-natural."
To
unsubscribe from Bald Eagles of Broward County, Florida, click
here. NAML
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