Countdown 365 ~ T-230

I once again visited the Eagle nursery on Wednesday evening, a tough evening to shoot picture, for the first time in several weeks we had a sunny day. I was shooting directly into the sunset. Getting out of my truck a hundred yards from the nest, I could hear the adult Eagle squawking constantly. Arriving at my observation post, the reason become obvious, there were only two juveniles in the nest. The previous day there were three, one was becoming quite aggressive in it's attempt to take flight. I am hoping that this occurred. However, the adult eagle was in a tree, which I could not locate because of the vegetation. The adult would call and in short time, it would be answered by a screech, similar in sounding as to what I have heard coming from the eaglets in the nest. Again, assumption is that it possibly took flight and is now on the ground, being watch by the parent until it can fly or it fell from the nest and is being protected by the adult until it can fly. I did not scale down the bluff, not desiring to disturb them in the event that was the case. The adult, never left the unseen perch for the two hours that I sat and observed. I wish the first one out of the nest, the best of luck and hope it does feel the wind beneath it's wings. The two remaining occupants in the nest, continue to sleep less and spend a lot of time exercising their wings and jumping to a high branch above the nest.

"Preparing For Flight"

"Walking The Limb"

As fast as they have grown, they have kept their parents busy collecting food. This adult is delivering dinner, if you look closely, it is delivering a Dolly Varden to the nest for dinner.

"Fresh Char For Dinner"

The adults spend very little time in the nest, once again they were into the nest and out again, just long enough to deliver food and look around for a couple of minutes. However, the routine also changed tonight. Instead of going to their normal perching tree, the adult flew to the top of a spruce tree. From this point it had the vantage point to see the other adult and they shared along Eagle conversation.

"Talking To It's Mate"

A great spot to view over their Kingdom, from this tree the Eagle is looking down at the Anchor River, the marsh lands of the river, the beach area, and waters of Cook Inlet. You cannot get a better view than this. At the same time, it could see their nest and I am assuming the other adult Eagle. The Eagle Nursery sequence will soon be ending, in a way I feel sad and will miss them. But, I have also been given a gift to observe them from the time they were eggs until they

soared on their own. It has been a good summer.

"Watchful Eye"