A few more images from week five…
Bald Eagle Nest – Week Five – Part Two
Tag: nest
Bald Eagle Nest – Week Five
Week five and the birds flight feathers were really growing in.
Bald Eagle Nest – Week Four Part Two
A few more assorted images from the nest, chicks about four weeks old.
Bald Eagle Nest – Week Four
During what was assumed to be the chicks fourth week, dark flight feathers start to be seen. The chicks were more mobile, moving around the nest, and much more aware of things outside the nest.
Bald Eagle Nest – Week Three
Here are a few assorted images from the chicks third week. First up is an image of “mom” at the nest, giving her near-silent vocalization.
Below you get a great look at the size of the filled-crop of this chick.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Fuzzy little dinosaurs?
Until next time, a closeup of the chicks.
Bald Eagle Nest – Week Three – Mom Brings a Fish
Bald Eagle Nest – Week Two
At week two the chicks were much more mobile, able to hold their heads up for more than a couple seconds at a time. Mom always gives them a thorough look over when arriving at the nest.
Here one adult vocalizes on the nest while its mate circles the river valley treetops.
Below is one of the melting looks that the chicks give when the adults are at the nest. This is my favorite type of photo to capture in the nest.
The only visit where I observed both parents at the nest simultaneously was during my week two visit.
Finally, even at this early age, the chicks exercise their future flight muscles.
Bald Eagle Nest – Week One
Hello there. I am ready to announce an ongoing project we have started recently. A friend of mine informed me of a newly built Bald Eagle nest on his neighbor’s property. With his help and that of the property owners, G & C, we discovered some viewing locations that worked well for photography while not stressing the birds too terribly. We are keeping the location secret, but I will say it is found along the Meramec River in St. Louis County, MO. Thanks so much to everyone involved who has helped me get these images. It has been an incredible experience. The chicks are now approximately five weeks old. The images in this post were taken when the chicks were less than a week old. I hope to continue weekly monitoring and photography until they fledge, which should take place at 10-12 weeks.
The nest is located ~ 75 feet in a large sycamore. The reason we have such an excellent viewing angle into the nest is that the nest tree grows at the bottom of the river valley’s ridge. We are placed at about the same height on the steep ridge, about 200-300 feet or so from the nest. An uncomfortable place to watch, but worth it.
We have all been shocked by their speedy growth rate. These are likely first time parents, but they have been doing an excellent job of raising these two, as far as I can tell. 😉 There is an obvious difference in size between the two chicks, that can still be see today.
Blue-Grey Gnatcatchers: St. Francois State Park Wrap Up
Here are just a few more photos from the aborted Gnatcatcher nest that we found this spring. Steve and I jointly found an active and very successful nest of the same species at SNR recently. I will hopefully get to those photos before first snowfall. 😉
The Missouri House Wren
My grandparents have had nesting House Wrens for a number of years now. Next to Cardinals baseball watching these guys go about their daily business is their next biggest form of summer entertainment. This past Mother’s Day I brought the big lens and made some images.
It is amazing to hear what large and complicated songs come from such a little package. This guy’s melodies were bouncing off of all the neighbor’s houses.
Here one of the parents is visiting the nest box. I believe they had eggs in the nest at this particular time.
Here is a little bit of photo talk (like I am qualified to give advice). These ultra-telephoto lenses have a long minimum focusing distance, or the minimal distance the lens must be to achieve focus. On my 500mm, this is close to 17 feet! In the case of shooting this male Wren as he scans his territory, I was able to put a chair next to the screened porch and was probably 10-12 feet from him. I was prepared and had a strategy to overcome this issue, I just didn’t think I’d ever get close enough to a feathered target to need it! Out popped an extender that moves the lens a few millimeters further from the camera’s sensor. Through the physics of optics that I will not try to explain (like I could if I wanted to), the minimal focusing difference drops low enough to get sharp focus of the close bird!
As with everything in photography there are compromises to be had with every advantage. The good thing is there is no loss of image quality here, because you are adding no extra lens elements. The extenders are simply extra space holders. The losses here are the inability to obtain far distance focus (at infinity or thereabouts) as well as losing just a bit of light.
These guys never stop building and redecorating the nest.
I have heard the chicks recently fledged and the parents are already on the wing. Maybe next year I’ll try to get some shots of the chicks on their first days outside the nest.
A Thousand Acres of Silphiums 