Daytona Eagles and Ducks
On Sunday we went back to see how the Daytona Eagles were doing. We heard that the Eaglets were branching and really getting active strengthening their wings. When we got there we learned that one of the Eaglets fledged, probably a bit early, and was in a pine tree about 20 feet down from the nest where it wasn’t visible from our location. Mom and dad were there as well as the other Eaglet and were quite active…
Mom, Dad and the remaining Eaglet surveying the area and keeping an eye on the fledged Eaglet below the nest
Mom flew to a nearby perch where she was joined by Dad flying in. They were very vocal, letting the Eaglets know that they’re still nearby
When they’re close to each other, you can see how much larger the female on the right is. Female Eagles are usually larger than the males
The male Eagle takes off right behind the female
The female Eagle prepares to take off
Its so cool when the Eagle takes off and turns towards me
I lost track of which adult this is, but its watching pridefully at one of its Eaglets branching
The adult Bald Eagle showing how branching is done, and soon took off…
… leaving the Eaglet alone again in the nest…
… but not for long. One of the adults returns with a branch for the nest
After placing the branch, the adult Eagle jumps up onto a branch above the nest
Checking on the fledged Eaglet below the nest
After watching how its done, the Eaglet gives branching another go
Now the Eaglet looks down to see how its sibling is doing
Then the Eaglet checks how I’m doing
The Eaglet taking a moment to watch the morning sun
One of the adults flying into a nearby pine tree got their attention
Mom and Dad together again in the nearby pine tree
The Eaglet having fun being alone in the nest
Getting some air time
Those are some big wings!
Mom flew into a tree in front of the nest to keep an eye on the fledged Eaglet down below
Dad flew over to the nest briefly, in a nice pose, before going hunting
The amount of jumping and branching leads me to believe this Eaglet is ready to fledge at any time
Dad returned very quickly with a nice sized fish
The Eaglet sits still as Dad flies in with the fish for lunch
After leaving the Eagles and grabbing a quick lunch, we went to a nearby pond where we saw a momma Mottled Duck with her Ducklings and some Wood Ducks.
Momma Mottled Duck swimming with her Ducklings
They’re behind her, but not in a row
Male Wood Duck foraging for food.
The male Wood Duck seems to be smiling as the female sifts through the vegetation
Male and female Wood Ducks
Male Wood Duck flaps his wings to wave goodbye as we left to head home
That was a great day! Not only seeing the Eagles and Ducks, but we also were able to meet up with some friends that we haven’t seen in a while. We also met some new friends while we were there. The Birding community has so many great and interesting people that share our love of wildlife and photography.