Saturday, January 30, 2010 - 11:50am to 12:20pm

[vdelauz]

This 30-minute observation was probably my most non-eventful visit to the nest ever. My 14-year-old son and I went together, so that I could show him what was going on with the eagles and so that he could help to fill out the form. He enjoyed himself, so I hope he will take an interest in this type of thing as he gets older. Anyways, there was an eagle in the nest facing east the entire time. It would turn its head to the west every once in a while, but it never got up or moved around in the nest. Since I never saw the other eagle, I could not identify the sex of the eagle in the nest. There was a moderate wind during this time which made the visibility of the nest difficult. The Australian Pine tree that the nest is in was swaying left to right, which made me think of Ken's comment about placing a nest cam on a stationary pole next to the nest. That would not be a good idea, in my opinion. The only other thing that stood out during our visit was an abundance of different types of finches flying around from tree to tree in the area between the street and the nest.


Eagle Sitting East, Facing West


One Of The Many Different Finches Seen Today

[NewMexiKen]

Too bad there was not much action when you brought your son to see the eagles, Victor. Last year, the oldest chick became visible over the edge of the nest when she was 22 days old. It's a bit like fishing-- you just have to be patient.

It's great to see that you were taking in all the other avian activity around the nest. When I birded my local "patch" the day before yesterday it was not "birdy" at all, but yet I found bobcat tracks and a fresh bobcat scat pile, as well as a beautiful Soldier butterfly and a Scarlet Skimmer dragonfly. Until I started my photography hobby almost two years ago, I paid little attention to such things.

The little bird in your photo is an Eastern Phoebe, a type of flycatcher . They spend the winter here.  Other small birds most common around the nest are Palm Warblers, occasional Yellow-rumped Warblers, and of course the blue jays and mockingbirds. Red-bellied Woodpeckers are often present, and there have been flocks of Cedar Waxwings and robins.  A colony of Monk Parakeets nests in the light standard across the street from the eagle nest.

A few wintering goldfinches have appeared at feeders in the area, but they are the only true "finches" you might encounter. You remind me of my grandmother, who called all little birds "chippies." I'm just as bad, as I call sparrows "LBJ's" (little brown jobs), and all gulls "seagulls," though a purist would say there is no such bird. I also had to learn that falcons aren't "hawks," vultures aren't "buzzards," and all blue birds aren't "bluebirds." What's in a name?

You might consider getting a field guide to the birds, as it may encourage your son to identify and learn more about them I recommend the latest (5th) edition of the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America. There is a new NGS Eastern guide that I hear is also good.

My interest in birding started with a tiny Reed's Guide that had colorful pictures. I was probably 5 or 6 years old. When I identified each bird I wrote a big "SAW" across its picture! wish I had kept it.

I was inspired by my eldest daughters comment, “You know, Dad, one of the best things you ever did for me was to give me an appreciation of nature.”  In my blog post "Can Eagles Open Eyes?" I wrote about how the presence of this nest has led many to take a deeper view of the natural world.

[vdelauz]

Ken,

I know what you mean about patience. One of my favorite places to frequent for wildlife photography is the area directly around the old Chekika State Recreational Park in the Everglades. Sometimes, I don't see anything, which is perfectly okay with me because the time spent out there is like a mini-vacation for my mind. Other times, though, I end up with images that I never thought I'd get. Like you said, you just have to be patient.

I literally laughed out loud when you said that I reminded you of your grandmother. I have to say that I am guilty as charged!  I am TERRIBLE at identifying birds and, yes, any little tiny bird for me is (incorrectly) labeled as a finch. Sometimes, if I am fortunate enough to capture a good image, I try to research the name of the bird in question on a website called WhatBird (www.whatbird.com). I need to do as you've suggested and pick myself up an NGS Eastern Guide as I live here, but frequent the Great Smoky Mountains every year.
 
A little side note: Up until last year, I didn't know what a Red-Shouldered hawk was. I thought that type of bird was always a Red-Tailed hawk. It was not until I watched a mating pair for weeks behind Lexus of Pembroke Pines that one of the technicians there pointed out the difference to me. It helped that his wife was an avid bird photographer and a lot of her knowledge spilled over to her husband.

Finally, I'll leave you with an image of Roy, a male Lady Gouldian finch that showed up in my backyard. It's an interesting story of how our family ended up with Roy, but I guess I'll put that story up elsewhere on the forum. Here is Roy, before he gave himself up. Enjoy!