Cherish is my favorite word, and I cherish the ability of turning the routine into a beautiful moment.
Nature creates in me, a spiritual and meditative time to bring peace, harmony and balance, into an otherwise ordinary day~
Mary Howell Cromer







Friday, February 13, 2015

The Bald Eagle Became the US National Emblem in 1782~


Bald Eagles...Oh what majestic birds they are.  Living near the Ohio River, we have been able to view these beauties from time to time.  Not that long ago, I stood at the end of my driving path and had my camera with me.  I saw a large bird flying above our home and took a few quick images.  Later that day, I was uploading the images and realized a juvenile Bald Eagle had been soaring right over Tingsgrove.
I have visited the land this nesting pair is on a few times in nearly a month now.  In many situations, Raptors can be quite delicate about their nesting, while others are used to human activity and stay put.  
Over the coming weeks and hopefully next few months, I will try and document some of the activity that I am able to capture of this pair.  There should be available to me 3 days a weeks to observe their behavior, for as best I can and also for those days to afford me nice enough skies and weather to make it a wonderful experience, one which I am very grateful for.
I shall be traveling by Amtrak next week and will be away a bit while visiting my youngest daughter and her husby in sunny Florida, leaving my own husby home to watch over things here.  It has been a rough 10 weeks and I still have nerve compression, but life is so fleeting, I must take this opportunity. Once I return, then I will need to make a decision about trying an injection, or going for the out-patient surgery to correct the problem.
Enjoy your weekend and week and be a blessing to all, as you are to me~
* Update as of 2/16/2015.  
Journey has been postponed a week, due to heavy snow and my state has been termed a "state of emergency".  
All is well here, just cannot get out right now~

Remember to double click on the first image, to view a larger slide show presentation after you have read the narratives~

I will be linking up with Judith for:

www.lavendercottagegardening.com

&

Stewart for:
   http://paying-ready-attention-gallery.blogspot.com.au/





  In June of 2007, Bald Eagles were taken off of the Federal List for Endangered and Threatened Wildlife. Bald Eagles, as with all Raptors finds the female the largest of the two, at 35 to 37 inches, which is only slightly larger than the male.  Their wingspan is 72 to 90 inches.  Those wings can take them to an altitude of 10,000 feet with speeds of 30 to 35 mph.  The juvenile birds will not reach full maturity until they are about 5 years of age.  Bald Eagles weigh between 10 and 14 pounds.  They have 7,000 feathers.  They may live as long as 30 years, and they are at the top of their food chain.  Their lifting power is 4 pounds, with their hunting area being 1,700 to 10,000 acres, and fish being their main food source.  Next time we visit the Bald Eagles and I return from my journey, I will share some interesting facts about their nests and nesting habits~





This is the female.  I watched her from my car and she had just chased the male from this perch~


The lighting of the sky was wonderful on this particular visit~














Words do not adequately describe that my heart was made happy when I was invited to get to come onto the land and be able to view and photograph these Amazing creatures.  I will not be sharing the location of this nest.  Many are already aware of it, but as a former person who held a federal permit to rehab and release Birds of Prey, I will not be the one to take a chance that the wrong person learns of a nest location and a breeding pair~










So far no one knows if the Bald Eagles have bred or, not.  I have seen one of them eating from the nest rim, as well as images like the one below from a great distance away.  Time will tell, that is for sure~


26 comments:

  1. Such majestic creatures. I love the catch, of him launching. Happy train-ing.

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  2. Mary, this is a fabulous post to introduce us to this very majestic species. I have fond memories of seeing this bird for the first time many, many years ago during a non-birding holiday in Florida. I'm definitely looking forward to following their progress with you.

    Enjoy your trip to Florida. Best wishes ... FAB.

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  3. Safe and happy travels Mary! I hope it is a healing experience as well as a lot of fun.

    The Eagles are majestic! Beautiful shots and I'm envious of all of them, especially the flight shots. You are so darn good!

    Hope you have time to get some Florida shots ... But mostly hope you soak up some sunshine while you visit your family!

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  4. they're just fabulous! i hope they will be able to nest successfully!

    i hope your trip will be a wonderful break for you!

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  5. These are fantastic photos, Mary. You are blessed to be so close to them and see them so often. We see them in flight over the valley around us but never resting in a tree or close up.

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  6. Great shots of a great bird. The recovery of this species is a real success story.

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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  7. I enjoyed seeing your series on the Bald Eagle - I have gotten many nice photos of them over the years too.

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  8. What energy, strength and confidence these powerful birds possess! These are the characteristics that I believe you have so majestically captured in your photos of the bald eagle. In picture #17, from the top, did you notice how the bird and the tree mirror each other's stance? Mary I really enjoyed all the interesting facts, as well, many of which I did not know, and look forward to more about their nest habits.

    My dear friend, I am so glad that you will be getting away for a bit, down to sunny Florida for a bit of warmer weather, to visit family. Hope you are feeling better. Please take care and enjoy yourself.

    Hugs,
    Poppy

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  9. Have said it before. Your photos of he eagles are just breathtaking! Awesome.

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  10. Mary, awesome post on the Bald Eagles.. It will be neat to follow progress on the nest and eggs till they are eaglets.. Wonderful photos. Have a fun time in Florida!

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  11. You're fortunate to have such a marvelous visitor! And your pictures are stunning too!

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  12. Gorgeos photos. We have eagles here and what treat it is to get close enough to take pictures. I enjoyed you post.

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  13. I've seen a bald eagle a couple of times while in Florida but never appreciated them as much as I can from your photos Mary. You're coming down at the right time as it's warming up again and I know your camera will be busy down here as well.
    Enjoy your trip, and thanks for linking to Mosaic Monday.

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  14. amazing images Mary. It is good to hear that the bald eagle has been taken off the endangered list. Stay safe Mary and enjoy your visit to your daughter and warmer weather!
    hugs

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  15. I have seen a few folks posting about eagles recently....lovely photos....we have them close by but rarely get a close view. Enjoy your trip and I hope things will get sorted out for you Mary!

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  16. Mary, You got some great shots. I find bird photography challenging. Sylvia

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  17. Wonderful photos of bald eagles. They are frequent and common around here (on Vancouver Island). When the salmon are running, we go to a provincial park (or any river) and it's not uncommon to see 5, 6, or more of them at a time. I never tire of watching them.
    Enjoy your trip!

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  18. What a treat to view those majestic birds! Last year we had a pair in our tall pine tree at the edge of our yard, but they were just visiting for a half hour or so. We do see nests along the rivers here in NW Wisconsin, and the birds always thrill me by their size and gracefulness.

    Sorry about your weather. Hopefully you will get the visit soon.

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  19. They take my breath away Mary. Incredible birds and incredible photography - thank you.

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  20. Great photos of a truly magnificent bird.
    Take care in all that snow!

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  21. You have been so honored to see and photograph these magnificent birds. Stunning shot.

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  22. Incredible photos! (As always!) Enjoy your visit to Florida. I hope you can find some relief for your pain when you return home.

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  23. It is wonderful image, the Bald Eagle. Excellent shots Mary.

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  24. Hi Mary. Such a shame that the weather has delayed the trip to Florida to see your family. The sun would have been a great tonic for you, not to mention the joy of seeing your loved ones. Hopefully the situation has improved and by the time you read this you will be on your way.

    Just wonderful images of the Bald Eagles. You are blessed to know of people who will share their knowledge of nesting sites, but you are quite right to be careful as to who you tell in turn.

    Enjoy Florida and come back refreshed, sun-tanned and with a camera full of images - I would.

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  25. Wonderful photos! Welcome you with love and thanks so much!Have a nice day Annamaria from

    http://anmarysmagicalworld.blogspot.hu/

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  26. Such beautiful shots of this magnificent bird...

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