EISPIRATEN

The bald eagles that nest in my local park, Seabranch Preserve, hatched three eggs this season. The hatchlings can't fly yet, but occasionally flap their wings. The nest is maybe 50 feet above ground at the top of a sand pine. The distance from the trail to the tree is about 200 feet, all of it impenetrable underbrush.

Here is a picture of the three young ones:



The proud parents stand guard on a nearby branch.

Thanks, Richard! Cool pics!

Didn't know they nested this far south. That's very cool!

Tom Kenney wrote: ↑Didn't know they nested this far south. That's very cool!

Richard is in Florida...

I now live in Florida, but my heart is still in the San Gabes, Sierra Nevada, and Death Valley.

I know that's a lot of zoom in the pic but they look pretty large already. How big are they when finally departing home?

very cool!

JeffH wrote: ↑I know that's a lot of zoom in the pic but they look pretty large already. How big are they when finally departing home?

The lens used was 500mm plus there was a lot of cropping. I was surprised at how big the young birds are. It takes them 2 1/2 to 3 months to reach the point of flight. They become fully grown within 2 or 3 weeks after that. The head and tail feathers don't turn white for 4 to 5 years.

I don't know when these birds hatched. I couldn't get to the park last weekend, but I will visit again this Saturday.