Sunday, February 6, 2022

Where Eagles Soar


I'm always excited to see a bald eagle in my neighborhood!  

Bald eagles pass through Colorado every winter, stopping for a short time before moving on to their next destination.  Some stay and nest. Last year, Colorado Parks and Wildlife reported more than 200 occupied nests statewide and more than 90 on the northern Front Range from Denver to the Wyoming state line. There was a popular eagle cam located at Standley Lake Regional Park in Westminster, Colorado. Still, sadly in May of 2021 the cottonwood tree that supported the nest split in half because of age, and the nest fell down and the eaglet in it was lost.  It was a loss for the many who enjoyed watching resident eagles on the live cam feed raise their young. Bald Eagles keep adding to their nests each year, and often the structures get so heavy they eventually fall out of the tree, and the birds have to start over. There are hopes the Standley Lake eagle couple will return and build a new nest this spring.




Bald eagles are not really bald--their heads are covered with white feathers.  It is believed that the name came from the Old English term "piebald" which means "white patch."  An adult male is around eight to nine pounds, while a female is larger at ten to fourteen pounds, Their wingspans are six to seven and a half feet.  




The female eagle lays one to three eggs and incubation takes around 35 days with both the females and males keeping the eggs warm.  It can take up to five years for an eagle to develop its characteristic white head and dark brown plumage.  As juveniles, they are different shades of brown. They often nest near water as their favorite meal is fish or waterfowl, although they will also eat squirrels, rabbits, prairie dogs, muskrats, and roadkill.





They also are known to have "eagle eyes" which give them eight times sharper vision than humans and enable them to hunt at a height of 10,000 feet and also see into the ultraviolet on the spectrum which enables them to better see fish below the water.





The proliferation of bald eagles in Colorado, despite an increasing human population along the northern Front Range, has prompted Colorado Parks and Wildlife to launch a four-year study on why this is occurring.



The interesting YouTube video above shows how some of the bald eagles are being tracked by Colorado Parks and Wildlife with transmitters, to learn more about their migration, habitat use, and hunting practices to see if population growth in Colorado's most densely populated corridor between Denver and Fort Collins is interfering with their activities. 



We had more snow last week and a few days of sub-zero temperatures from an "Arctic Blast," but this week we should be back to normal with a blue sky and sunny, milder days.  

Friends from the east will be visiting us next weekend and staying with us a few days before a ski trip.  It will be fun to see them after a long time and reconnect! We will have good weather to take a few drives and show them around our area. 

In the meantime, you can also find me on





38 comments:

eileeninmd said...

Hello Pat,
Wonderful post on the Colorado Eagles. Your photos are awesome.
Love the last view, pretty mountain scene. Have a happy day and a great new week!

Penny from Enjoying The Simple Things said...

How wonderful that you can see eagles where you live. I have not seen an eagle in years.

Taken For Granted said...

Love seeing your photos of these Eagles. I caught a glimpse of an Eagle yesterday, but it disappeared before I could reach for my camera.

Cloudia said...

Very enjoyable and informative! Glad I stopped by

NCSue said...

Very cool.
Thanks for sharing at https://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2022/02/alter-egos.html

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

They really are amazing to sight! We've been seeing some along the Gulf Coast this winter. It's always a thrill. Enjoy your week!

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

It will be delightful for you to have company; it's good to be getting back to normal isn't it?
This was such a comprehensive post about the lives of "your" Eagles. It is too bad about the nest tree and I hope that pair returns.

I know we are lucky to have one bald eagle nest in our neighborhood to watch for real and/or on the webcam. As it says on their website "you are watching real life as it happens." Some of the people get very upset when they don't like the eagles behavior (the babies sometimes fight with each other and one will be dominant -- which is natural). And everybody (me included) has been very sad during some seasons -- the first male eagle was killed a few years ago and more than one eaglet has not made it --but nature sometimes can be cruel.

Crafty Green Poet said...

Great photos! Bald eagles are very impressive birds of prey. It will be interesting to see the results of the survey.

The Joy of Home with Martha Ellen said...

Beautiful photos of the eagles, Pat! We have eagles that fly between the Potomac and Rappahannock rivers in our area. It's so nice they are making a come back, and quite thrilling to see them! Enjoy your week ahead.

stevebethere said...

Nice interesting post that eagle looked very proud heheh!

Have an eagleeyedtastic week 👍

Tom said...

...I rarely if ever see eagle here and I thank you for sharing these beautiful images!

Lydia C. Lee said...

Just had to say WOW! You get some amazing shots!

Ruth Hiebert said...

The Bald Eagle is majestic . I get a thrill each time I see one.

Jeanie said...

These are absolutely remarkable images, Pat. Those close-ups are drop-dead fabulous. I always long to see the one eagle of the lake (he doesn't seem to have a schedule or a permanent resting spot, so a sighting is always by chance). Even if I do, my camera or timing has never been good enough to catch something that isn't a blur. Wow -- I'd be framing that shot near the top. It's brilliant. What a thrill!

Rambling Woods said...

How sad about the nest. I used to watch nest cams and then stopped as when things went wrong and they do, I was so upset and there is too much upset to take that in....Michelle

William Kendall said...

I have never seen them in the wild.

ellen b. said...

Such wonderful shots of the eagles! It's always such a treat to see one! Sounds like a fun time coming up with friends!

Lillian "sognafaret" said...

Amazing birds

gluten Free A_Z Blog said...

Just Beautiful. Thanks for sharing these wonderful photos of the eagles.

Feline Opines said...

We have many of these majestic bald eagles in our neck of the woods (Northern Idaho). I never get tired of seeing them or of pictures of them.

Donna @ Modern on Monticello said...

Very beautiful and regal birds. Thanks for sharing the photos of them. #HomeMattersParty

Handmade in Israel said...

Such incredible birds. How wonderful to see them! Interesting to learn where the name comes from too.

Yogi♪♪♪ said...

We are getting more and more eagles in northeastern Oklahoma. They nest all along the Arkansas River and the Corps of Engineers has strict protection for the areas they control.

Spare Parts and Pics said...

Such amazing looking birds. Your photos are outstanding!

Shiju Sugunan said...

Gorgeous bird! These are beautiful captures!

Jim said...

Good captures.

diane b said...

They sure are an impressive bird. Love the blue sky and snow.

Michele Morin said...

Beautiful! We saw 2 sailing high above us when we were snowshoeing recently.

Michelle said...

I like seeing your eagles. We have a nest not too far from our farm. They are such majestic birds! I hope your visit goes well. Thanks for linking up.

eileeninmd said...

Hello Pat,

This is an awesome post on the Bald Eagles of Colorado. The photos are beautiful and a great video. I am so glad to see the Eagles doing so well in the USA. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a happy weekend. PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.

Roz | La Bella Vita Cucina said...

Such an extraordinary and handsome bird. We love to locate the nests that are on a huge lake near us. They are protected as you know and we're so glad of that so we can enjoy them.

betty-NZ said...

Fabulous creatures! Love your pics.

Thanks for sharing your link at My Corner of the World this week!

handmade by amalia said...

What a view these eagles must enjoy - you live in a beautiful part of the world.
Amalia
xo

Lowcarb team member said...

Such lovely photographs, they really are a majestic bird.

All the best Jan

Hena Tayeb said...

Wow.. you took those? That's incredible.

Marilyn @ MountainTopSpice said...

Eagles are such a magnificent bird to see! We have a lot of them here with all the rivers. They love to hunt along the rivers. You shared excellent information about them. I knew the juveniles had brown feathers until they matured, but didn't realize it could take them up to 5 years to mature. Amazing. Enjoyed your pictures and narrative, always so informative! Have a wonderful time with your company :)

Sharon Wagner said...

We have a lot of eagles in Minneapolis. But I haven't seen one in awhile. Always a special treat.

Angie said...

Pat - the progress with Bald Eagles in the US in the last 20 years has been so exciting!!! We are fortunate to have a nesting pair at a lake very near us, and every year (we have lived here for four years) they have successfully fledged at least one eaglet. Enjoy your visitors and your weekend!