The Eagles are Back



Occasionally Catching the Eagles in Flight

 



Nesting 2016

Last week I dropped by the Connecticut River and was thrilled to see that my Eagles are back.  They are working on their nest, suspended precariously at the top of a snag,  high above the Vermont shore.   With varying degrees of success, this has been their breeding site for many years.  The consistent location makes it easy to follow, and photograph, their progress.  Last year one hatchling appeared to flourish.

 

Foam and Tripod

 




Fly-Over

The nest can be viewed from along the River Road in West Chesterfield, but from the closest spot, it is still nearly 250 yards away.  I typically settle on the side of the road and steady my long lens on a piece of custom cut foam,  fitted to my window glass.  I'm getting better at catching the birds in flight, but more often, the action comes when an eagle takes off or lands on the nest.  On average, this happens once every 30-40 minutes.  The rest of the time is consumed by long periods of unexciting sitting, both for the eagles and myself.
 
 



More Sticks this Year

 
 




Building from 2016

So far I have only seen evidence of nest building.  The birds generally arrive  with bunches of sticks, and only occasionally with an unfortunate supper entrée.  I can only hope that all the nesting activity will eventually lead to little eagles, but we don’t have a nest cam, so I will have to wait for small heads to poke up over the edge.




Favorite Take-Off from 2016




Banking

I won’t be able to get back to my spot along the river or a couple of weeks.  Who knows what excitement might unfold in the interim.

 

Jeffrey Newcomer
partridgebrookreflections.com