GIBA Eagles in Review , Part 1

Background:
In January of this year, the Executive Director of the Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority (GIBA), came to our Camera Club with a tantalizing offer:
A pair of nesting Bald Eagles had arrived in a vacant (or not) nest on Cole Island, smack dab in the middle of active, ongoing bridge construction. In order to comply with Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) rules, the eagles needed to be monitored to be sure that the construction was not disrupting the nest or any eaglets.  How would some of our members like to be Bald Eagle Monitors???
Well yes, some of us really would like that!!!
Armed with our brand spanking new reflective vests, FWC forms, tripods, and sensible shoes, several of us began on this amazing journey.
My first visit to the site was on January 23.  Mom was in the nest most of the time. According to our experts at FWC baby was probably born around Jan 28.

First Glimpse of our little Giblet!

This was Feb 6. Eaglet was a light gray, with downy feathers, and could barely hold its head up.  One of the parents stayed with the baby almost all the time.
I saw parent do this several times, maybe to corral baby?

  First wing stretching

By the time baby was about three weeks old, it began stretching its little downy gray wings

Small head, but gigantic wings!

You can see the effort eaglet is putting out-- trying to learn to stretch, flap and hop. All at once! 

Sweetness and Quality Time

When eaglet was 1 month old, we had an awesome day. Little eaglet is getting bigger and stronger and smarter, but still needs constant babysitting.

Baby is getting some important lessons about life

and some quality time with parents.

But look how big!

The constant care  of an eaglet requires skill at place-changing..mom comes in for a landing, and dad heads out

Especially when dad discovers that mom has a bee  in her bonnet about re-arranging the nest

Suddenly there's some fishing that must be done.

Again, mom's got to do everything!!!

A Little sweetness before we grow up

 PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE

 Suddenly, Mar 6, parents are in what we will begin to know as their Lookout Trees..

 Nothing escapes their attention

 Baby, meanwhile, is working so hard at flapping AND hopping at the same time!

 Sometimes when I arrive, I will see and hear nothing, until baby raises its wing in a good stretch...or is it a greeting?

 All that hopping and flapping, and add to that- learning to stand on the edge of the nest!!!

So many accomplishments with more to come !

Chaos Ensues.

Dad comes in for a crash landing with a talon full of food. Eaglet is so excited here, you can see baby whacking dad in the face with its wing- dad's talon is extended to defend himself.

 Our growing adolescent is over the moon about this meal, but there's a twist

 Dad places the food on the edge of the nest.

 And heads up to a nearby branch to watch what happens. Baby looks none too thrilled about this particular turn of events

Eaglet must now learn to eat and balance at the same time. Yet another skill that needs to be learned in this short time.

Our Little Eaglet Discovers the Wide World Around the Nest

On March 13, I arrived to find an eaglet who had suddenly discovered the world outside the nest.

 Yikes, Crows!

Who knew???

THREE EAGLES IN A NEST

And the Great Osprey War Begins in Earnest,

 It's not often that you get to see three Bald Eagles in a nest at one time, so this was pretty cool. What wasn't cool was finding out that the Ospreys have been seriously pestering the eagles.

 Here is dad doing a fly-by to make sure all is well.

Word is that this nest originally belonged to  the ospreys.  And they still want it back.

Togetherness and Independence

I was perplexed as to why the sudden hovering over eaglet by the parents, mom was so attentive to every move baby made, even feeding baby again, after eaglet had been eating its own food for some time

 Eaglet had been learning grooming

Look Dad!! I can almost fly!!! 

 How's that??

 Look at me nowwwwww!!!!!!!!!!

to be continued.........