A Pair of Eagles
We found the location of the eagle's nest in Seabranch Preserve. Amazingly, two eagles were occupying it - one sitting on a branch and the other in the nest. We thought that the nest might have eggs. We returned the next day. I carried a much longer telephoto lens - 500mm vs. 200mm. The nest was empty. The internet says that Florida eagles hatch November to January and the young ones go out on their own 5 months later. May is way too late for the female to be sitting on eggs. Perhaps this pair raised their hatchlings here earlier in the year and returned due to familiarity. Here is what the pair looked like with the shorter lens.
Thanks guys. We were in the park yesterday as volunteers for trail maintenance. I spoke to the ranger about the eagles. He said that they had been seen returning to the nest earlier. He believes that they lost their egg back in January. There were several high wind events similar to Santa Ana winds. The nest was damaged. Apparently, the great birds are suffering some emotional distress over the loss. The picture now has a totally different meaning to me than the day I took it.