Following Eagles – Adventure of a Lifetime

“In the end we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught.” – Baba Dioum

What a beautiful part of New Jersey I call home. I’ve lived all my life in a rural part of the state. I’ve seen lots of wildlife in my days but never had I seen a Bald Eagle in my home state. As I was growing up, they were slowly and silently making a comeback.

It all began with an email from a man I did not know, was forwarded to me from my Dad. A friend of a friend originally sent it. The message told of the possibility of a Bald Eagle’s nest along a local river. I read the directions in that message three times. I just couldn’t believe what I was reading.  I KNEW this place being described. I pass by the area weekly on my way to church.

That Sunday I decided to make a stop to see this nest for myself. As I rounded the curve, approaching the power lines that crossed the road, I slowed, and began looking through the branches of the trees. Sure enough, just as described in the email, there sat a  nest on the top of the power line stanchion. It was huge and could belong to nothing else but a Bald Eagle. I sat photographing the nest and thought how nice it would be to get confirmation with an actual eagle siting. As if they could hear my thoughts, two Bald Eagles flew out of the trees and landed. One took her place on the nest, while the other landed nearby and acted as lookout.

 

That early spring, weekly visits to the nest became part of the Sunday morning routine. My students and I continued to watch the Duke Farms live cam daily. I gained valuable observational skills over those years spent watching the live cam, and learned much of the behavior of the Bald Eagle. When I spotted the eagle on the nest at the end of March that year, it sure looked like she was feeding or at the least turning eggs in the bottom of that nest bowl. It was exciting to be able to watch this pair live, in person, through my own nature’s window.

April brought sure signs of young in the nest. When other birds of prey circled nearby, the adult eagles let out cries of alarm and remained ever alert. Finally I saw the two heads pop up above the edges of the nest. Confirmation there were two!

April 15th was the day I received word that I would be attending the banding of the Duke Farms eaglets that year. It was an exciting spring. Besides watching two nests and banding in May, I also looked forward to the wedding of my oldest son.

While nothing could take away the excitement of the wedding, a cloud did appear overhead early one Saturday morning. I received an email that banding at the Duke Farms nest would be cancelled due to the retirement of the tree climber. They felt the new climber lacked the experience necessary to climb that tree. I was devastated, despite being told they would find another nest.

The first offer was on the day of the wedding rehearsal. Then came a long silence. I kept myself busy with wedding preparations. The call came as I was making bouquets, two days before the wedding. They decided on a nest to band. It would happen on May 14. The email said the nest is the one close to my home, and is the nest I had been watching. MY NEST! I was more than thrilled! If banding couldn’t be at the Duke Farms nest, this was a great substitute. I knew this eagle family personally!

 

May 14th was a beautiful spring day – sunny and warm. I arrived early. I knew the location of the nest tower, but didn’t know how we would drive under it and feared being left behind. The PSE&G crew led the way along their right of way, we parked, and walked together across the field to the tower.

As we approached, the two eaglets were alone in the nest. I couldn’t believe I was sitting so close to it. Those towers are are so tall, yet the PSE&G crew climbed with ease. Apparently there is a specially trained crew who climbs towers to handle birds in a nest.

The female was the first to arrive. We heard her high pitched yell and then saw her fly past the nest is a tight circle. I had read that Bald Eagles, because of their large size, will not attack something larger than themselves. They are too big and clumsy to make a quick escape if it goes bad for them. While they did nothing to stop the events that day, they never left the area. Both male and female circled overhead continually vocalizing. I wonder if some of that vocalizing was to assure their young that they were still present and had not abandoned them. The closer the crew got to the nest, the tighter their circles became.

The female continued to fly past the tower, vocalizing, while the crew placed a falconer’s hood over the head of eaglet one, and wrapped the talons for everyone’s safety. The hood keeps the bird calm as they are handled and placed in a canvas bag, clipped to a rope, and lower to the ground.

 

It didn’t take the male long to join his mate in a watchful circling of the nest and events on the ground. He must have been fishing. I didn’t notice at the time, but later my photos showed he had returned to the nest when his mate sounded the alarm with a fish still gripped in his talons. That fish never made it to the nest.

As with other Bald Eagles, the female is the larger of the two birds. In order to see that, you need to see them sitting side by side. Another way to tell is the eyes. The male looks as if he was wearing eyeliner, as he sports a black ring around his eye. The female lacks this dark eyeliner, but the feathers surrounding her eyes have a gray hue to them. This is hard from a distance. I learned early on, thanks to my photographs, how to identify the male from female in flight. I was able to zoom in on some of my photos on the eagle sitting in the nest and was able to see it was in fact the female. As the other, the male, flew in to deliver fish or provide her with a break, I noticed a notch in his left wing. This notch is a great visual and is an easy way to tell one from the other in this nest.

 

Meanwhile, back on the ground on banding day. I had taken up a great spot to watch the day’s events. My camera was out. What a privilege to be that close to the nest. As the first eaglet was being lower to the ground, I heard my name being called. I was asked to put my camera down because I was needed. WHAT?! My first thought, was that I would miss photographing the events, just as things were getting exciting. I really had no clue that the real thrill was about to begin.

When I was told I would attend the banding, I thought that meant I would be present to witness the events. Yes, that was true, but I had a more important job. I was needed to hold the first eaglet as she was given her exam and bands. I was asked to sit on the ground, and as they removed her from the bag, she was laid across my lap! I will never forget the softness of those downy feathers or the speed at which her heart beat in her chest. What an honored to be a part of this. That day, I not only had the opportunity to look through nature’s window, but to step right out of the window into the action.

The number on her band is E14. The green band that signifies she is a New Jersey bird was placed on her left leg. Banding is typically done at about 6 weeks of age. The birds are easiest to handle at this age. Their legs are also full grown, allowing the band to fit just right and not get tight due to more growth.

Some photos in this story were taken by, and used with permission from Joe Mish, naturalist and writer, and Tanya Sulikowski, Programs and Community Garden Manager at Duke Farms. I am ever grateful to have photos of me holding “my girl” to document the events of this experience. The words do not seem like enough, but Thank You!

 

The second eaglet to be banded was the sibling to E14. The number on his band is E15. His band was placed on his right leg. I did not hold him, that honor went to someone from PSE&G. That meant I was free to work with my camera again. While my E14 was calm, her brother was the opposite. He was a bit more feisty at first, but he too, eventually settled down.

 

Having the green band placed on two different legs made for easy identification of the siblings throughout the rest of the nesting season. We were able to identify which eaglet fledged (first flight out of the nesting “tree”) because of the band placement on opposite legs. I was told it was not done purposefully. It happened to be a convenient end result.

When both exams were done and banding complete, the eaglets are hoisted back up to the nest. Parents spent the morning circling and watching what was happening rather than fishing. To relieve the stress of the morning’s event for both adults and little ones, two fish are left in the nest. We watched from a distance as both adults returned to the nest, feeding their offspring. All is well and normal once again.

 

After banding, I continued to observe this family from my distant viewing spot. Each time I visited I thought of the incredible events in which I had the honor to participate. I will never forget the details of that day nor the entire experience. I am convinced that things happen the way they do for a reason. Circumstances in your life may change or take a different turn from what was expected or you had planned. The resulting changes could end up being much better when all is said and done. I know that happened for me.

Adults continued  to care for their young as May turned to June. As it gets closer to fledging time, they may withhold food to entice the young ones to leave the nest. They practice “branching” leaping and flapping their wings, in a tree,from branch to branch before going back to the nest. In this case they use the beams of the tower to branch. E15 was the first to go. My girl was left alone. It was sad, to watch her alone on the tower, crying to the adults for food.

 

E14 spent her last days on the tower alone. Dad watched from a distance. Mom flew in with food, though those visits became less frequent in order to give E14 reason to leave. She strengthened her wings and practiced hops from beam to nest. On windy days she caught the wind and hung high in the air above the nest. She was so beautiful to watch, and I cheered for her successes. I knew she too would be leaving soon.

One day in late July, I stopped by for a visit to find an empty nest. One of the many nice people I met on this adventure, told me he had seen her leave. I was happy for E14, she had achieved what her brother and all eaglets must do. I wish them both luck. It was with a heavy heart I said goodbye to these siblings. I know the first year is such a dangerous time for young eagles. There is so much to learn and so many dangers out there to meet them. Mortality rate is high among juvenile eagles.

Nature’s window that was opened to me last year was truly an amazing experience. As I approach the anniversary of that date, I think of all the wonderful people I have met along the way, some with whom I remain in contact. I cannot thank the people at Duke Farms and Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey, and the state biologists enough.  The many people I met when visiting the nest and observing from the road. Dan, the official nest monitor for the state of NJ, thanks for the continued updates this year. Jim Wright, thanks for your interest in my students and the work they did, the blogs in which they were featured, and chapter 8 of your wonderful eBook! Joe Mish, thanks for sharing your photos, camera advice, and your love of nature. Rose M Joy, my new friend, photography partner, and eagle enthusiast. Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey and Duke Farms, thank you for sponsoring that live cam, that opens the window to nature for us all, and the lesson plan contest. Tanya Sulikowski, thanks for your ever present support and belief in me.

Thanks and Resources:

Joe Mish (naturalist, writer, photographer) – Thank you for the photos my hands and her talons

Jim Wright (official blogger for Duke Farms) Check out his eBook about Bald Eagles

Duke Farms Bald Eagle live cam

Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey

Eagle Band Colors