Azalea and Camellia
January 22, 2012Camellia at Chesapeake Beach – Lake Bradford Jan 24
January 24, 2012On Friday Jan 20 at 2:50pm a 2nd year juvenile (male I think) paid a visit to the bald eagle nest at Norfolk Botanical Garden (Photo 1). It did not go unnoticed by the two adults who chased it off almost immediately. The juvenile is not banded so could not be a NBG eagle. Later about 4:35 while the male with his new dark tailed female were in the nest, the juvenile returned to sit on an outer branch of the nest tree (Photo 2). That set both adults to screaming (Photo 3). And once again the juvenile was chased off (Photos 4 & 5).
Update – A viewer has correctly pointed out that these are two different juveniles. Today there were two juveniles seen flying together at NBG.
26 Comments
I am going to say wow 1 more time. As all of this is new to me, even though I have watched song birds at my feeders for years, so many light bulbs are going off in my head. If the NBG eagles had not been banded, we would all assume it was an earlier eaglet returned. If the cam (plus ground people) had not followed Dad so closely, the courtships would be totally clouded. Most importantly, the right people are doing the necessary research to make a positive difference for our wildlife and for us humans. Thanks, thanks, thanks.
Great series!
When I went to Caledon State Park 20 years ago to see my first bald eagle, little could I have imagined that I would feel like saying “there seems to be a few TOO many eagles about!”
LOL
This feels like an Agatha Christie mystery with all of the comings and goings!
The male is good at beating up the youngsters…lol. Great interaction captured Reese.
And how great that the female is territorial already! She has claimed that nest as hers.
Great series, Reese. What a gorgeous bird the youngster is…great coloring
Great set of pictures. The juvie is beautiful! I love the way the adults protected their nest and territory! Everything happening with the NBG eagles is making some very interesting reading. I never would have thought I would have found eagles so fascinating! Thanks to NBG, CCB, WVEC and you, Reese, for making that happen. I enjoy reading everything you post for us.
Wow, love to hear about the female defending the nest. That Juvenile is absolutely stunning youngster!
Thank you for the report Reese and WVEC.
Reese, I noticed that the juvenile that came back the second time did not look the same as the first one shown on the nest.
Response – You are absolutely right. I have updated the posting.
Very good to see “Miss Dirty Tail” being so territorial! Thanks, Reese, for these posts.
Amazing series… especially love the last one with the male chasing off the juvi….
Breathtaking! Thank you so much Reese!
posted in forum – you saw this pair mating Jan 23 Monday .. WHEN will WVEC give us the cam????? I MISSED IT! WAAAHHHH! Very exciting news tho.
Great pictures. Feel sorry for the juvenile but it will learn! Thanks as always for you photos and insights.
Reese, with so much eagle traffic @ NBG, and considering the 2 deaths that were determined to be trauma from power lines (I think) is there anything that can be done to make the lines more visible to the eagles?
Thanks so very much for your updates from the nest!
Response – The juvenile was flying on a pitch black dark night so nothing could have made the power lines more visible. I expect a review of the power line exposure will be made.
Great pictures. Could you tell if the female was dirty tail both yesterday and the mating today.
Thanks
Response – Yes – same female
Can’t reflective tape (or something ) be applied to those lines for night visibility?
Could they put the power lines underground?
was wondering could the young juvenile be one of our rock stars an just returning home thanks great pictures RITA FROM OHIO
Fantastic series, Reese. Thank you for keeping us posted. Can’t wait until we can watch. Miss Dirty Tail seems to be the new mate for sure. Fitting right in guarding the nest with Dad.
Reese, is there a reason that the two juvies were wanting the nest? I thought they only went to the nest to mate.
Response – The relationship and reactions between adults and juveniles at nest sites are part of what we are studying and trying to learn more about. With the significant increase in the eagle population, we expect there to be more and more of these visits by younger eagles.
Reese It appears like there may be a challange for dads territory going on with so many eaqles around the garden.. do you think dad is strong enough to hold on to his nest and is his new young girlfriend bonded enough with him to really take on this challange? Things are really getting exciting around the garden. Hope we will be watching all the action live cam soon.
Response – This male has been here for 8 years. I think his position is secure.
These might be dumb questions.. Are there ever abandoned nests and do they get utilized by other eagles? Is it possible to build a random nest with camera’s on it and see what happens?
Response – Yes, ocassionally eagles do settle into abandoned nests. In Va Beach in 2009, bald eagles took over an Osprey nest and used it in 2009 and 2010.
Thanks Reese for everything. What an education you have give us.
Sorry to hear about DGIF no longer supporting the Eagle Cam I hope that WVEC will continue to provide its camera for us to view..
Reese, what kind of effect will it have on your personal work when they force the eagles out of NBG and away from a place that can support a cam? I’d imagine it’s been very rewarding to be able to have this kind of continuity with a single bird like Dad for 8 yrs (and Mom for several before that) – not to mention being able to see the young over time, especially since you started tagging them.
I imagine that having folks who are invested in the birds has meant more eyes watching the skies to get pics of purple bands.
Response – I have no idea what the status of such a decision might be, or if it will be, since neither I nor CCB is in any way involved. My schedule was full before this project, and expect it will remain full after this project comes to its eventual end.
People who are dedicating there lives for this advocacy is really inspiring.