Meeting some new neighbors

©2013 Lydia Hinshaw

Bald eagle

Parent, right, and chick

 HOLLY HILL, FL -- We spent Friday morning observing an eagles' nest in a park in the town that borders ours.  We'd read about the location in the local newspaper, and it turned out we could get quite a good view.
 There are three eagle chicks, though they weren't cooperative about showing their faces at the same time.  One parent was on the scene, and there's no easy way to tell whether it was mom or pop.  If both parents are on hand, it's a pretty good bet that the larger one is the female, as is almost always the case with raptors.
 Most of the time, the parent watched from another part of the tree, but s/he finally moved a bit closer and I was able to get the second photo.  A short time later, s/he took off and few around for a while, eventually going out of sight.
 Eagle pairs raise their chicks together, taking turns going out to hunt food and minding the nest.  These chicks are old enough to be left alone for a time, although they still depend on their parents for food. One of the chicks was flapping his wings a lot and bouncing into the air above the nest.  Looks like that one will be flying any day now.
 An eagle takes five years to reach full adulthood, and to acquire the familiar  white head.