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03/04/09
This Friday: Florida Audubon Presentation on Florida’s Eagles
Filed under: General, Birding & Outdoors, Florida & SE US, Bald Eagle Nest
Posted by: Ken @ 5:06 pm

AdultRoosting20090304

Plan to attend the free presentation by Lynda White, EagleWatch Coordinator for Audubon of Florida, at 6:30 - 8:30 PM this Friday, March 6, at Silver Trail Middle School in Pembroke Pines. Lynda will be accompanied by a “Paige” an adult Bald Eagle. She will speak about eagles in Florida and the Pembroke Pines Bald Eagle nest. The program will be held in the cafetorium of the Middle School, which is located at the SE corner of NW 184th Avenue and Sheridan (18300 Sheridan Street).Refreshments will be served. Be sure to bring your children and a camera– Paige likes to have her picture taken!

This afternoon was rather breezy, chilly (71 degrees) and dreary. After feeding the chicks, the adult roosted in the melaleuca trees to the west of the nest tree (photo above). Parking restrictions have not yet been implemented, and the visitors respected the posted woods and the boundary. The chicks were quite active after their dinner.

Both chicks sat up for the camera:

TwoChicks20090304

The older eaglet (now 38 days old) exercises his wings; both chicks do this quite frequently.

Older Chick 38 Days Old Exercising 20090304

Trisha, one of the faithful volunteer nest watchers, provided this very interesting account:

Monday, March 2: “(It) was especially thrilling as we stood with our various apparatus pressed up to our eyes. Perhaps it was the dark blue sky and brisk wind out of the north bringing very clear, fresh air. The eagles were soaring around the nest area between feedings as much as I have ever seen them. I wonder if they were enjoying the weather as much as I was? At one time just over the nest area, but very high, was one of the eagles, a turkey vulture and an osprey soaring in a line. It was awesome being able to compare the 3 all together. One of the eagles flew very low over the road and gave some arriving watchers the thrill of a lifetime as it went right over their heads!

“I heard the chicks for the first time in the nest when the adults were both away. I was somewhat surprised that they sounded much like other baby birds….kind of a string of very rapid “cheeps.” The sound was nothing like when the adults are heard calling to each other.

“The other highlight was when 1 of the adults flew north and then circled back over the field across the highway to the northwest. We saw it circle very low and was out of sight for a few seconds and then came up and headed to the nest with a white bird in its talons. The adult stood very high on the front rim of the nest as it held the remains of the bird with its talons and pulled at feathers and strips of meat.

“The young were both right beside and grabbing the pieces from the adults beak as they were pulled off. One other thing we observed was that at times if both chicks were eating and no one was reaching out to take the food the adult would eat it. When the adult was finished with the dissection of the bird, it made our watching complete as it flew to a bough on the tall pine just to the right, along the fence line, to clean up after a messy meal. It was a perfect pose for the shutterbugs!“

FWC Eagle Nest Locator Map
Bald Eagle Information Links
Pines Bald Eagle Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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