Adventures in the Wild: Eagles

I am rescheduling the post I was going to do today 

because I am SOOOOO excited to share this with you all,

 I just cant wait. 

One of my most favorite animals is the bald eagle. 

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They are so beautiful and powerful. 

Growing up in Minnesota, my family would often stop along the Mississippi River and watch for eagles.

My brother and I had binoculars that we kept in the car to watch for them. 

Mine were purple.

His were teal.

We would have contests to see who could find one first. Or who spot the most.

I know, I was and still am a nerd at heart!

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ANYWAY

Last year my mother-in-law introduced me to 

http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles

If you click on the link above you will be taken to a U Stream site that had a 

LIVE video feed of an eagle's nest. 

You need to check this out!

It is not like from a distance, squint and you can kind of make out a bird. 

IT IS VERY UP CLOSE. 

When you look right now, there is not to much activity because the eagle is sitting on eggs!

The same pair of eagles returns to this nest every year to lay their eggs. 

There are 3 eggs this year. 

It is estimated that the first egg with hatch around March 23rd (My Birthday!!!)  

Here are some other questions that are answered on the website: 

How high is the nest? About 80 feet.

How big is the nest? About 6 feet across, about 5 feet deep; it weighs close to 1367 lb.

How old is the nest? The eagles built it in 2007. A previous nest close by fell when a windstorm broke one of the branches.

Which is the male and which is the female? It is hard to tell the difference unless they are both on the nest. The female is larger than the male. This female has an arched ridge above her eyes that goes further back than on the male, and her eyes are surrounded by a greyish shadow; the ridge above the male’s eye is shorter and seems a little closer to the eye. The male has a line around his eyes that makes them look “beady,” and his head looks “sleeker” than the female’s.

What is the history of this male and female? They have been together since the winter of 2007-2008. Her markings at that time indicated that she was about 4 years old. They successfully hatched and fledged 2 eaglets in 2008, 3 in 2009, 3 in 2010, and 3 in 2011.

It is so interesting getting to watch the eggs hatch and then how the parents take care of the babies. I am totally addicted to the eagle live feed! Unfortunately I will most likely miss the hatching this year (since we will be on vacation) but I cant wait to see those little fluffy baby eagles when we get back!