The Little Blue Heron above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park in February 2011.A late start for observation of Bald Eagles in 2011 I suspect will again be disruptive to observation of other bird species that I hope to photograph when possible.
I'm quite positive that the eagle nest I've been watching has only one Bald Eagle juvenile in it after about 20 hours of observation.
The Raccoon carcass above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.Bald Eagles will typically produce a pair of young with as many as three while there were two observed in a nearby nest in the 2009 season south of Fort Myers Beach.
This year's offering is a disappointment that there is only one progeny in the nest, but certainly better than none.
The Bald Eagle above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.I don't know how to explain all the expired mammals I've seen in my few visits around the nest this year.
They led to my research of the wildlife efforts of Charles Broley documented in The Wilson Bulletin.
The Bald Eagle above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.In the late 1930's to mid 1940's there was banding of the Bald Eagle species in Florida with a record of their sightings through 1946.
What I found interesting was that the eagles were not thought to migrate at the time, but were later observed including as far as southwest of The Great Lakes in 1945 which was explained by unusual weather conditions at the time.
The Bald Eagle above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.I've not encountered Bald Eagles as a very common sight in southwest Florida.
They have been reported to be very skittish when an attempted close observation of them is made.
The Bald Eagle juvenile above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.The first of two observations near their nest this week offered an observation of one of the adults at guard as expected.
At an early point during the afternoon visit, one of the adult eagles flew into the nest.
The Bald Eagle above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.A follow-up afternoon visit to the eagle nest offered a view of one of the adults again supervising the area.
After several hours passed without observation of the juvenile in the nest, I had become concerned.
The Bald Eagle above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.While attempting to photograph a Gray Catbird which had not been seen in quite some time, the juvenile eagle caught my eye.
It was a relief as I was worried the nest was empty.
The Red-shouldered Hawk above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.There had been what appeared to be too many Turkey Vultures in the area while at one point the adult eagle drove a circling vulture away from the area.
The juvenile Bald Eagle in the nest would remain for the most part well hidden dodging my efforts to get a decent shot of it.
The Bald Eagle above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.The solitary adult eagle I observed near the nest disappeared from view on a couple of other occasions with my expectation that it would immediately return with food for the fledgling which it did not.
The tide was relatively high at the time and may have been the reason.
The Bald Eagle above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.It was interesting to see a Red-shouldered Hawk perched much closer to the nest than I would have thought allowed.
Mourning Doves were again active in the area and were perched closer to the nest than observed before.
The Red-bellied Woodpecker above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.The juvenile Bald Eagle would again offer the observation that it has been well fed.
It was not until after sunset that the adult eagles returned into view while not offering the opportunity to photograph them in the nest.
The Bald Eagle juvenile above was photographed at Lovers Key State Park at Big Carlos Pass in February 2011.All appears well.
I have enjoyed your writing and your photographs. You have a different variety of birds in winter in South Florida than we do in chilly northern Virginia. Thank you for sharing
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