Rickubis Bird Page #2b: Eagles

Rickubis Bird Page #2b: Eagles page 1! Page 2 , Page 3
This page was born 03/30/2019 (split from a page born born 09/17/2006.). Rickubis designed it. (such as it is.) Last update: 07/24/2023
Images and contents on this page copyright ©2002-2023 Richard M. Dashnau

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Welcome to Brazos Bend State Park. That's me on the trail at Fiorenza Park watching an Eagle 6/3/2023. I was just a child when the number of Eagle nests in the U.S. was only 417...in the lower 48 states.
I never expected to see Bald Eagles at all where I live and play, but here they are! I'm sharing many of my pictures and videos of Eagles on my Eagle pages.

I was at Fiorenza Park on the morning of 12/24/2021. I got there at about 8am, and I had just gotten out of the car when
I noticed a white speck in the field a few hundred yards Northwest of me. It was a Bald Eagle! I took pictures from so far. I'd turned to check something, and found that the Eagle
had taken off. Through the camera, I could see that the Eagle was being chased by a couple smaller birds, maybe crows. The images below are a mixture of photos and frames
from the video. The video clip can be seen at this link.

Beautiful morning! Out in the field-- --white dot on a brown dot. There it is. Eagle in the morning sun.

Eagle being chased by two birds.

One bird following, but not gaining. The Eagle flew off to the West, alone.

On 12/21/2021; I was at Fiorenza park North. I could see two Bald Eagles on the power line tower to the south. Then more stuff happened!
If you don't want to read the story, then it is summarized in the edited video here (4 min, mp4); which, of course, also shows the clips I filmed.

For some weeks, one or two eagles were visible on top of an electrical tower about 1050 yards (about 1/2 mile) South of the short, low footbridge at Fiorenza Park. At 8:45 I'd looked
North, then turned back to see an Eagle flying over the water, directly towards me. I was able to catch some pictures before it flew past the sun. (map image ï¿½Google maps)

The Eagle passed over me, and continued North, over that section of the lake. I hurried up the hill, and across the Westpark loop (about 200 yards) to look for the eagle. This was
not as easy as one might imagine, since there were many large birds in the air around the islands (Cormorants, Great Blue Herons, various Ducks, etc.). But, I found the Eagle!
(map image ï¿½Google maps)

The Eagle flew East, and landed in a tree next to Eldridge Parkway--about 400 yards away from me. I walked towards it, pausing sometimes to shoot a picture or video clip. While I
moved, the Eagle changed trees, maybe twice. (map image ï¿½Google maps)

I stopped walking and filmed the Eagle, still from some yards away. I joyfully watched it fly past me (though still some distance away). It banked away from me, then turned back
and began to land. I was watching through the limited angle of my camera view--so was surprised when the Eagle landed....NEXT TO ANOTHER EAGLE. All my attention had
been focused on the eagle I'd been following, so I had no idea that the other one had been there.

I moved a bit further to clear the trees, and paused to film the Eagles. Images taken from far away are better than none at all--and I had no way of knowing when or if the Eagles would
fly off. I was about 200 yards away from the Eagles at that time (map image ï¿½Google maps) Then I continued trying to get closer to them. The trail loops above and away from that
position. Although maybe tempted to walk straight towards the Eagles, I decided that staying on the trail (and therefore taking the longer path) was a better idea. I figured that people
had been using the trail all morning--and the Eagles were still there. So, the trail and humans on it was a benign background to them.

Finally, I got to the last bend of the trail what would put me allow me to get closer. As I rounded the bend, two people had stopped at the bend by the Eagles and had seen the birds.
They had cellphones out, and I hoped thatt they would try to go down further. But, they didn't, and the people moved off as I got closer. I stopped about 10 yards back from the hanging
bench and took a few pictures. One of the Eagles flew off, but one remained with the carcass it had been eating. I was about 85 yards from the Eagles. (map image ï¿½Google maps)

It picked at the carcass a bit more (I never did find out what it had been), and then flew off. I watched it curve and go behind the trees on one of the islands. I backtracked to the spot
where I'd first seen the Eagle land in the trees (about 685 yards around the trail from the hanging bench). (map image ï¿½Google maps)

The first photo shows how far the bench was from where the Eagles were eating. When I got back to my original spot, I saw that one of the Eagles had landed on the farther island!

I was lucky again, and filmed the Eagle as it took off and flew West over the water, and across my view. It passed the Spillway. It passed folks taking a group picture on the
spillway.

The Eagle passed people riding bikes on the trail. I smiled, as I wondered if any of those people had noticed the magnificent predator flying past them. The Eagle went off to the West.
And that was about 45 minutes of my morning at Fiorenza Park. Again, this is summarized in the edited video here (4 min, mp4; which, of course, also shows the clips I filmed.

Update 12/13/2021- 11/29/2021, I went to Fiorenza Park North (which I often do). While I was there, a friend pointed out two Bald Eagles on top of a power line tower off to the South.
My camera could capture their image, even at the highest zoom. I was happy to see Eagles, but a bit disappointed by them being so far away. But then there was commotion behind me
(North). I turned around, and saw an immature Bald Eagle. It was flying above all the birds that were gathered between the island and the spillway. It circled around, swooped towards
the birds (which the cormorants didn't like), and eventually flew off to the East. I shot video, which appears in this clip that collects all of them with the previous one.

On 12/01/21, 2 days later , I went back to Fiorenza Park North again, and this time I brought a camera with greater range. The two Eagles were on top of the power line pylon again. The six images below show
how far away they were. Even with better zoom, images of the eagles were hard to capture.

But roads go by the power line tower. So I drove over and tried to get closer. I found a spot where I could stop and pull off the road, so I did, for just a few minutes.
I shot a few quick pictures, and then a short video clip to get frames from later. Here are the images and frame grabs. So, for a few days, I got to watch 4 different
eagles pretty close to where I live--visit regularly. How cool is that? All birds are wonderful. Look closely at any species, and you will discover a list of amazing
attributes. Some of them are shared with other bird species, but some are unique to that one. But even the other birds pay attention when an Eagle is around.
Note that I didn't say the other birds always give way, or show respect. I've seen an Eagle being mobbed by a murder of Crows, or even being harassed by a single crow.
But the all the birds pay attention. I've been very lucky to encounter Eagles at all--let alone multiple times.
And again, this is the clip that collects all the video I got for this.

11/28/2021; I arrived at BBSP, and a lot happened (described in various other places). I was near a pod of baby alligators and their mother. I was talking to a couple of first-time visitors about alligators,
then expanded to the wonderful variation of wildlife at BBSP, and mentioned that Bald Eagles sometimes hunt here, through fall and winter. I looked North, across Pilant Lake and all the birds there...and there
was a Bald Eagle flying over the lake. I was able to shoot some short video, but kept talking to the visitors. It was an great! I went home soon after this. The images below are frames from the video clip.
I got a few photos, but they only show the Eagle's backside. (The video clip is here.)

06/05/2021 (posted 6/13/21) I visit Fiorenza Park frequently . It's pretty close to home, it covers 362 acres, it has about 6 miles of trails and a wonderful collection of wildlife.
I've known it was connected with Brays Bayou as a flood-prevention measure for some time. I explored for a while. When I came back, saw someone focusing their camera at the
stand of trees across from me. When I looked...there was a Bald Eagle! It stayed on the branch for about 30 minutes while I took photos and a a few video clips. It flew off to the
West. Here's the edited video (mp4).

STAND OF TREES TO THE WEST THE EAGLE IS THERE! CAN YOU SEE THE EAGLE YET? THERE'S THE EAGLE!

03/18/2021 I was at Fiorenza Park North, and it was chilly and very windy. Nothing much was happening, so I decided I'd leave. I had packed up my camera, taken off my extra
layers and was getting into my car when I looked North. A Bald Eagle was flying at my eye level! I ran back to my trunk, got out the camera, and...got a few pictures as the Eagle flew
off to the West. Way off in the distance, I saw a smaller bird (probably a Crow) fly towards the Eagle. Then they were gone. This was about 9:15 am (from timestamps on images).

Inspired by this, I stayed a while longer. I thought that maybe this was a sign that other birds (such as the White Pelicans, Cormorants, etc.) would start foraging and moving
around. But that wind did not let up, and after about 45 minutes, I again decided to leave. But, this time, I stopped and looked around after every step towards repacking.
I'm not really sure why I did this--it just seems that something interesting has often happened after I've put my camera away. (Many of you who take pictures of animals in the wild may
have experienced the same phenomenon).
You can probably guess what happened next. I had just closed my trunk when a Bald Eagle appeared from the Southwest. Instead of flying by this time, it landed in the stand of
trees just West of the Westpark loop. I grabbed my camera and moved near the traffic barrier and telephone pole there--trying for a little cover. And, for about 15 minutes, I
got to watch a Bald Eagle in the tree as it was being mobbed by Crows. I tried shooting some photos first, but couldn't get a good shot through the moving branches. The first four
images below show the Eagle as it was protesting against the Crows. It turned its face up, and cried out.

After shooting a few more bursts of photos such as below, I decided that video would be more useful, since at the very least it could give me many more images.

I was facing directly into the wind. Shooting video requires stabilizing the camera much more to get a steady product. At times, I could barely stabilize myself, let alone the camera!
Also, I realized that the audio would be useless, as it would be overpowered by wind noise. I filmed video anyway, because I didn't know how long the Eagle would remain. If I shot
bursts of full-sized photos, I'd lose a second or more each time I stopped as the photos were written to storage. The remaining images below are frames from the various video clips.
The four images below show Crows passing near the Eagle while they mob it. I spent HOURS editing the clips into this 6-minute video that turned out ok.

The Eagle finally had enough of the harassment, and decided to leave. But, the Crows weren't done with the Eagle, and they chased it above the field to the West. Then one picked up
the Eagle again, and I saw them as two dots moving off in the distance. The frames below are also from the video. Here's a link to this 6-minute video again.

02/07/2021 Out at Fiorenza Park North again, It's not too far from home. I got there about 9:45am. In about 10 minutes, I noticed a hawk in a tree just across from my car. I think it's
a Cooper's hawk, but I've been wrong before. Going by the chest, and the yellow eyes, it would be a young hawk. I didn't get much closer before it flew away. The two pictures below are
actually two cropped versions of the same photo. I walked back to the sidewalk near my car and looked around.

Cooper's Hawk watching me. Closer view.

Ten minutes later, a Bald Eagle flew over me, and around the park! I hadn't even walked 20 yards, and found two raptors in 20 minutes. It was great! The Eagle cruised over the North
portion of the lake, and then flew off to the South. I shot video of most of its flight, along with a few snapshots during the capture. The three images below are from the photos.

Bald Eagle flying by Bald Eagle flying toward me Bald Eagle partially shaded
While I reviewed my images, I wondered if I could figure out how old the Eagle was. I knew it wasn't an adult because its head and tail were not bright white, although the body and
wings were mostly dark, without many lighter feathers or markings. I found three interesting sources for identification online. They all agree--and one of them is source material for
the first one. 1) Avian Report webpage. 2) Article(pdf)--" Molting sequence and aging of Bald Eagles." by McCollough, M. A. (1989) 3) Article(pdf)--"Aging Bald Eagles" by William S. Clark.
Going from what I saw in the first one, this Eagle is about 3 years old, generally an "immature" Eagle. I've uploaded the video, and you can see it by following this link (mp4). The series of
images below show one wing beat cycle--as good as I could get. The camera moved a lot while I was trying to follow the flying Eagle--so the video will be a bit shaky(although I did slow it digitally 4X).

Down stroke 1 Down stroke 2 Down stroke 3 Down stroke 4

Up stroke 1 (wings also fold) Up stroke 2 Up stroke 3 Up stroke 4

Top of Up stroke 1 (wings straighten) Down stroke 2 Down stroke 3 Down stroke 4

That was really great, but the morning had one more surprise for me. I had had to work on my phone a bit from inside my car. I finished, and I looked out to the South, and saw
an Osprey flying over the South section of the lake. I hurried out, and tried to capture that one on film, too. I caught some video, but it wasn't very good...but I did capture the
two images below! What a great morning. I shot a slow burst of photos as the Osprey flew by to my South, going West to East. The timing of the burst caused my to catch two photos
of the Osprey's wings on the down stroke of two different beats.

Top of Up stroke 1 (wings straighten) Down stroke 2

11/17/2019 A park visitor told that he'd seen two Bald Eagles in BBSP. I was happy to hear that eagles were visiting the park. A little later
I was walking with one of the bird hike groups that I'd just met. They got word that the eagles had reappeared. We weren't far away, so
we walked over...and there they were! All of us started taking pictures. The images below are some of mine.

I have seen an eagle at the top of this same tree just last spring. Pictures from that time are on this page. I was able to stay near the eagles for about 15 minutes,
before I had to leave to do some work in the Nature Center. Before I left, I tried to catch video of the eagle as it flew. This requires a constant recording of 480 fps,
and this stops when I want to save. The eagle didn't fly, but I did catch the arrival of another raptor. The visitor was an American Kestrel (Falco sparverius). I've
edited that with these images into a short video clip. You can see that video here(mp4).

03/17/2019 I was walking on the South loop of the Elm Lake Loop trail. I was near the head of the Pilant Slough trail, and as I looked North over the lake, I noticed a flock of
Whistling Ducks (Dendrocygna autumnalis) take wing from the Northwest (to my left). I looked up and a bit to the right (East), and there was a Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
flying by. It circled around and I tried to get the camera to focus on it. When it flew over some trees and was blocked from my sight, I lost the eagle. I had just turned West to tell
a park visitor down the trail about the eagle when it reappeared overhead. This time, it flew Northwest over Elm Lake. I started walking West to try to keep the eagle in sight. When I saw
it again, it was perched at the top of a tall dead tree, somewhere North of me.
I couldn't tell if the tree was in Elm Lake, or across the trail to the West. So I walked rapidly around the bend and moved Northwest. I found the Eagle was in a tree just
West of Elm Lake, close to where the Elm Lake Loop meets the Horseshoe Lake Loop. (Looking later at Google Maps, I could see that the tree was about 2000 feet straight
from my original position, but I'd walked about 3500 feet to get there). I looked through the trees lining the trail to see the Eagle. I shot a few pictures and video clips,
before the Eagle took off. But, it circled over me a few times before moving away. The images below are cropped from larger photos I shot of the Eagle.
My video clips showing the Eagle can be seen here(mp4). Bale Eagles nest in Texas during the winter, but many return North after the new hatchlings can fly. While they are here,
they hunt a varied group of prey. I've found two studies that describe what has been found in Eagles' nests in Texas and in Louisicana. These links should bring you to them:
Prey of Nesting Bald Eagles in Texas ; Foods of Nesting Bald Eagles in Louisiana

01/07/2018. One of those days, at Brazos Bend State Park. On Saturday, January 6, volunteer Chuck D. showed me that he'd gotten some great pictures of a juvenile Bald Eagle at 40 Acre Lake.
On Sunday morning the next day (01\07) , I was out at 40 Acre Lake (where I usually start anyway). I was near the Observation Tower, and watching the sky, and also looking and listening for signs of
disturbance from the many wading birds and waterfowl in the area. American Coots occasionally bickered out in the water and chased each other. Once, the coots sounded a bit different, so I looked
to my left (North) until I saw movement in the water near the coots. I wasted a second or two as I went through what normally moves out there. Anhinga? No. Cormorant? No. Diving Coot? No. Grebe?
No. Otter!? YES!! It was an OTTER!! I quickly brought the camera up and started shooting video. I tried not to move as the otter came closer. It swam to the edge of the floating hyacinth, then it dove.
It was about 10 yards from me when it went under. The pictures below are frame grabs from the video. And the video is here(wmv).


It seemed to me that it might want to cross the trail (probably close to the concrete around the culverts). So, following my own advice, I backed away from the tower about ten steps. This was to allow room
for the otter to cross. And...nothing else happened. I looked all around for a sign that the otter was moving. I looked behind me in case the otter passed me. I looked down and to the right (South) in case
the otter crossed and went into the lake leaving a wake. I spent a few more minutes looking back and forth. I didn't see the otter again. It might have crossed in front of me after that. But I could have missed
it; because I was distracted. Because...when I was waiting for a sign of the otter I happened to look right again (South), but this time I looked *up*....
And the juvenile Bald Eagle was circling in the air above the lake. I caught some video of the eagle as it circled around (it was near the Southeast corner of the lake) and it made an aborted talon-strike at
the surface of the water, then landed in a tree. So, while I was watching that, the otter could have crossed to the East. What a choice! Should I watch for the otter to reappear...or for the eagle to move?
I watched the eagle, and it took off again, but moved away from me, then looped around and went West. The images below are frame grabs from the video. The video does look a bit better. And that video is here(wmv).

Those of us who have been able to see otters are often confounded by their ability to move quickly and with stealth. I found some information in this document:
North American River Otter Husbandry Notebook, 3rd Edition
Edited by Janice Reed-Smith 2008

The aerobic dive limit for an otter (how long it can stay under holding its breath) is 50 seconds.   (Page 27) But average dive time is 21 seconds ( page 28). Top speed of an
otter in water is 7 miles per hour. (That's about 10 feet per second) (page 28) If we cut that in half (considering we usually see otters relatively at ease) that's 5 feet per second. In a 21 second dive, at 5 feet per second,
an otter could move 105 feet (35 yards) or maybe as far as 210 feet (70 yards) if it's in a hurry. There are some good online sources for collected information about otters. Some day I'll be able to examine all that's there.
Here are two:
river otter alliance
otter specialist group

As for the young eagle. Sources on the TPWD website say that Bald Eagles lay eggs in December, and eggs incubate about 35 days, to hatch sometime in January. The chicks leave the nest in about 12 weeks, but the
parents still feed the young for another 4 to 6 weeks while they learn to hunt. So eagles hatched this season should still be in the nest (not flying around). The feather markings change as the young eagle ages, with the
prominent white head and tail and dark body appearing only in mature adults (about 5 years old). This one might be close to 2 years old. I'm guessing by comparing with my Sibley's field guide and my National Geographic
field guide--which show more white patches on the wings during 2nd year. I'm sure the birders out there can correct me.

03/25/2017 After the morning rain, the sun brightened the day, so I visited Fiorenza Park (the Phase 2 section). The park looked great, and I hadn't been there very long when a Bald Eagle landed in a tree about 50 yards above me!
While it stood on a branch and preened itself, I shot a number of pictures and a a few video clips. Even though the eagle didn't "cooperate" by standing clear of all obstructive branches, I was still very happy to see it. I stood ready
to film the eagle's take off, and even so, I missed the launch. The eagle flew into the trees, then back out and over to the cormorant nest island.

I saw the eagle apparently land behind the trees on the island. I waited and kept watching the island, since I'd hoped that the eagle had descended to catch something. Meanwhile, I watched the various cormorants, grebes, spoonbills
and other birds. Then I noticed a mixed flock of birds fly left--out of the trees on the island. Amongst the pink of the airborne spoonbills and the black of the flapping cormorants I saw the eagle! It flew free of the other birds and landed
on a far bank. It had been carrying something, but I couldn't tell what it was. The three images below are from a burst I filmed as it flew.

I watched anyway through binoculars and camera as the eagle ate, then seemed to wade into the water and either drink or wash its beak. Finally, the eagle took off and I lost sight of it as it flew behind the trees of the cormorant island
again. I've edited some of the video clips together. That video can be found by following this link(wmv). The two images below are of one of the flocks of Roseate Spoonbills that flew by. I think it's great that this wonderful park is only
15 miles from midtown Houston!

03/20/2016 I was interpreting baby alligators at Creekfield Lake for some visitors when I became aware of the sounds of disturbed birds behind me. I turned around and saw Whistling Ducks and other birds flocking and making short,
panicked flights in the center of the lake. Then I looked a bit higher...and saw a Bald Eagle above them!

It circled and attempted to dive at the ducks. I shouted to the group around me and pointed out the Eagle as it circled and tried again. I brought my camera up and tried to track the eagle and shoot pictures. I'd been focused on the gator
babies, and couldn't change settings on the camera without losing the eagle...so I shot what I could. It moved too quickly to easily focus, and all the while I kept repeating "LOOK! Look at the EAGLE!!"-and describing the action to the
crowd of visitors. Waterfowl in the area were flying around, and a crow harassed the eagle. The pictures above are frame grabs from the short video I got. That video can be seen here(wmv).The eagle flew to one of the large trees on the
West side of the lake...where black vultures were perched. The vultures all took off, and then the air around us was filled with ducks, coots,at least one crow, and vultures. There was the panicky flapping and calling of the various waterfowl
all around; while the vultures quietly flew in multiple paths above them,showing their discomfiture in a self-possessed manner. It was an amazing sight! I called the eagle a"T. Rex in the sky, on the hunt."
The sky eventually cleared, and the Eagle took off from the tree,but it flew North, and didn't go over the lake again. While talking to the visitors, I guessed that the eagle we saw might have been an inexperienced juvenile, possiblyfrom the
nest at Oyster Creek. Although it was chilly and windy, it turned out to be an outstanding day!

March 09, 2014 I'd missed the previous weekend at the park because I moved to a new apartment. This was the first weekend in almost 2 months that I was able to relax (no more packing/unpacking/moving), and BBSP gave me a couple
of treats. I was walking on the North side of the 40 Acre Lake Trail at about 8:45, when I noticed a pair of Red Shouldered Hawks in a tree over the trail. I noticed them just before they took off (this happens to me often). But, they only flew
a few yards, and landed on the trail, near a pile of dark material that was in the center of the path. I moved slowly towards the pile, and the Hawks. One took off, and flew past me on my left, and went West. The other one flew up into a tree
near the trail, and stayed there. I got a little closer, when, the Hawk flew back down *towards me* and landed on the trial near the pile. By then, I could see that it was a pile of water hyacinth. I took one more step, then watched the hawk
through the camera. The hawked hopped into the grass, where it stared intently at something there. I started shooting high-speed video. The hawk seemed to be grabbing at something with its talon. Finally, it grabbed, then took off and
landed in a tree directly above the trail. There, it started eating whatever it had caught. I shot through the camera, hoping to be able to identify the prey. The hawk finally took off and flew West at about 8:54, going the same way that the
other hawk had. Some of the attached images are screengrabs from the video. Review of the video revealed that the hawk had pulled a live crawfish from the grass!
The pictures below are all screengrabs from the video clips I shot. Since I was using full digital zoom for the Eagle, the still images are very "fuzzy". But the video isn't bad. I've edited the clips into a single file.
The edited video is here: mp4 format

I continued walking on the North side of the 40 Acre Lake trail, heading East, towards the Observation Tower. At about 8:57am (just a few minutes after the hawk had flown away), I noticed a large bird on top of a broken tree near the
Observation Tower. The tree was on the East side of the Trail, South of the tower. I was about 200 yards away from the bird in the tree. When I looked through my binoculars, I could see that it was a Bald Eagle! I quickly changed the
settings on my camera, and used full zoom to look closer at the Eagle. I started shooting video. The Eagle was eating...something, but there was no way I could tell what it was. I stopped filming, and walked about 20 steps down the
trail, hoping that I'd get be able to eventually get closer. When I filmed again, the Eagle had stopped eating, but I shot some video anyway--along with a zoom shot to give some sense of how far away I was.

I took a few more steps, and the Eagle took off--still over 100 yards away. However, it looked like it flew further East on the Spillway Trail, so I hurried over to the Observation Tower. When I got there, I could see that the Eagle had landed
in a tree about 100 yards East of the tower, right near the trail. So I quietly climbed to the top of the tower, and watched the Eagle. It was just below the top of the tree, so my view of it was partially obscured by branches, but I took some
pictures and video clips anyway. During time that I watched, crows (or maybe the same crow) made some half-hearted attempts to harass the eagle-but it was only one crow at a time. At about 9:30, the Eagle took off, and I tried, but failed,
to get good shots of it as it flew. The Eagle flew West into the misty air until it flew out of sight.

January 13, 2013 Today was rainy and cold. While some people in Houston were running around in this nasty weather doing a marathon, or half of one; other people were walking around the trails at Brazos Bend State Park in this nasty
weather hoping to see a River Otter or a Bald Eagle. Both predators have appeared at this time of year, especially during cold weather and Otters have often shown themselves during or after rain.
Ok...maybe not "other people". Maybe it was just *me* out there. And there were a couple fishermen at 40 Acre Lake. Anyway, after a couple hours walking, at about 10 o'clock AM I was on the Elm Lake Trail between piers 2 and 3.
I'd noticed that some of the groups of American Coots were clumping on the banks. I'd seen a large hawk watching over some of them, but that was at about 9 on the other end of the lake. Vultures were kettling in small groups, circling
over head here and there. I was facing North, when I looked up and towards the East at one of the large circling birds. It had caught my eye. Flat wing profile. A quick look through binoculars--EAGLE!! But it was circling high. I was able
to snap two shots at full optical zoom--having to focus between shots. Then it was over the trees, circling West. I think I only had a few seconds of viewing time. But, I was able to crop the pictures, and it was a Bald Eagle. This little entry
is not because the pictures are great--but they do show that it was a Bald Eagle. And that's good enough for me.
-

January 28, 2012--Eagle Update!! I went out to Baytown again, this time with a different camera, and high hopes. When I got there, there was one person already watching the nest, and he told me that he'd seen an Eagle fly off earlier.
I didn't wait too long (it was great weather, anyway), but I saw an Eagle circling towards us. It circled closer, and closer...and CLOSER. I shot a few photos as it passed overhead, but only one came out well. That's the image below left.
I figured that the Eagle would land on the nest, so I focused on the nest.--just in time. I started shooting high-speed video (120fps) and caught the Eagle landing above the nest. Then, to my great suprise, another Eagle landed next to it!!
The edited video clip is here (mp4). Then, I shot a few more pictures, changing setting on the camera and trying again, and was able to get a few good images. The two below middle and right are a couple of these. Then, one Eagle took
off (which I missed), and then the other one took off. I left, too.
------
December 27, 2011; January 1,2, 14 2012 Ending one year and beginning the next with Bald Eagles.
I had some extra time off over the holidays, so I went to Baytown to see if I could see the Bald Eagles around the nest I can find there. I got there around 9:00 am. At about 11:00, I heard the cry of an Eagle, and an answer from the nest.
And then, an Eagle appeared and landed on the nest. I watched for some time, alternating through my camera and my binoculars, hoping that the Eagle would take off and fly my way. It finally did! And, of course, my camera got hopelessly
entangled, and I couldn't catch the Eagle when it first left. But, it came around and circled above me, so I filmed it then. The middle image below is from the video clip, which is here(wmv).
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I went back the next day, but had no luck.
On January 1, 2012, I was at Brazos Bend State Park. While I was near the tower, looking for Otters and Eagles, and whatever else, Chuck pointed across the lake, and there was an Eagle! I was able to shoot a few pictures (altough far off)
before it dropped down into the rice. I watched for a long time, and it finally reappeared, but flew off into the west. The image above right is that Eagle. As I said, it was pretty far off. One of these days I'll get a good photo or video of an Eagle
at BBSP. On the next day, January 2nd, I went out to the Baytown nest again. And I got to see an Eagle, but it stayed on the nest. The image below left is of the Eagle that day.
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Finally, I went out to Baytown again on January 14, and got to see an Eagle again. This time, it finally flew from then nest while I could film it. It was pretty far off, but at least I got to try to shoot video of it flying. The image above right is a frame
from the video clip, which is here(wmv).
Here are some Eagle facts, according to the the Texas Parks and Wildlife web page. Here is the link; and another link to a TPWD pdf with a bit more information.
The Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) males are 3 feet long, head to tail, weigh 7-10 lb, and have a wingspan of 6-7 feet. Females can be 14 lb with a wingspan up to 8 feet.
Bald Eagles will eat whatever is available. They eat fish, waterfowl and other birds, small mammals, and turtles. They will also eat carrion.
In Texas, Bald Eagles nest from October to July. Peak egg-laying happens in December, with most hatching in January. Females can lay 1-3 eggs, but usually 2. A second batch may be laid if the first batch is lost. Incubation begins when the
first egg is laid, and lasts 34 - 36 days. The young fly from the nest in 11 - 12 weeks, but the adults will feed them for another 4 -6 weeks while they learn how to hunt. When they finally fly off on their own, young Eagles migrate north out of Texas,
but return by September or October. In Texas, the Bald Eagle population is split into 2 types--breeding birds and non-breeding (wintering) birds. Breeding populations are usually found in the Eastern half of Texas and along coastal counties.
Non-breeding populations can be found in the Panhandle, Centraland East Texas and other suitable habitats throughout the state.
A bit more detail can be found in this study: PREY OF NESTING BALD EAGLES IN TEXAS 1995, David W. Mabie; M. Todd Merendino and David H. Reid(pdf) . Here are some notes from that study:
From February through May of 1985 - 1991, food remains were collected from within and under nests representing 27 territories in Texas. 661 prey items representing 46 species of vertebrates were found. The types of prey were split almost
evenly into 3 types--Birds (33.7%), reptiles (30.7%) and fish (30.1%). Mammals made up the last 5.5%. Bird prey remains were found in 92% of the nests. American Coots were by far the most common (132) followed by Snow Geese (26) then
Northern Shovelers (12) and Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks (10); followed by much smaller numbers of other birds including Cattle Egrets (7) American Bitterns (2), White Ibis (1) and Northern Harrier (1).
Reptile traces were found in 41% of the nests. Surprising (to me) is that these were all turtles. Most common were Softshell Turtles (182), followed by MIssissippi Map turtles (6) and Razorback Musk turtles (6), Red-Eared sliders (6), Common
Musk turtles (3) and finally (1) Ornate Box turtle. Turtles were consistently found in nests associated with the Colorado, Brazos, and Trinity rivers.
Fish Prey was found in 83% of the nests. Various species of catfish were the most common (129), followed by Carp (40), Crappie (16), Largemouth Bass (6), Gar (3), Gizzard shad (3) and Striped bass (1). It has been mentioned that bottom-feeding
fish are more vulnerable to attack from above because their attention is focused below, and that conditions that make these fish (such as catfish) accessible to surface attack (like shallow water over sandbars) would make them more likely to being
attacked by eagles. Similar conditions that would allow for shallow water or basking surfaces might make for more availability of basking turtles (like Softshell turtles) in some areas.
Mammal remains were found in 33% if the nests with Eastern Cottontails and swamp rabbits the most common (23), followed by Eastern Fox Squirrels (3); Opossums (3), Nine-banded Armadillos (2), and (1) each Striped Skunk, Plains Pocket
Gopher, Feral Hog, Hispid cotton rat, and Black-tailed jackrabbit.
That's quite an interesting array of food items. I was surprised by the number of turtles. I also notice that there were no nutria, alligators, or snakes found.
I'd hoped to get a hint of what to watch for while the Eagles visit Brazos Bend State Park, but most of the prey items listed in this study can be found at the park--many during nesting season. As I write this (January) American Coots are the most
common noticeable birds in the park (huge groups of them), but there are ducks many other birds as well. When the winter weather is mild, many of the turtles come out to bask. Swamp rabbits, cottontails, squirrels, armadillos also live there.
I once heard a park visitor say the Bald Eagles live in the park. This isn't exactly the case. Eagles *forage* in the park. Or, Bald Eagles live in the park like you or I "live" in a supermarket. Judging from that study, Brazos Bend State Park is a
supermarket for Eagles.

11/29--11/30/2008-- Eagle, Osprey, and Ibis. On 11/29/2008, I decided to drive to the Northwest part of the Houston area, near Waller, Texas. I wanted to try out a new camera, and I was hoping to find some Crested Caracaras. As I drove around,
somewhat aimlessly, I found myself near the highway again. I looked across a field, and a small pond, and I noticed a car parked on the feeder road, and people near the car looking down into the field. I made drove until I got near where the car
had been. I stopped and got out of the car. And there, down on the grass near the water, was a Bald Eagle! It was apparently eating something, but was too far away to see what it was. I took some pictures (and there were also a couple of Caracaras
in the field, too) and then reached into my car for the video camera. I saw the eagle flying away. A truck had pulled in behind me, and that probably chased off the eagle. I was still lucky to see it. The images below are two views of the same photo,
just cropped for clarity. I also shot a short video clip of the eagle, which you can see here (wmv 2.6 mb).

February 5, 12, 19, 26 and, March 5, 2006--

This is how it started for me. On the morning of February 5, I walked down the 40 Acre Lake trail at BBSP. I passed Hoot's Hollow and continued towards the observation tower. On the way I met the Bird Hike group where I spoke with David Heinicke
and John Bradford. David and John and the bird hikers got to see a Bald Eagle from 40-acre lake pier. They were telling me about it--still during their hike--when the eagle made another appearance, and we all got to watch it hovering at height of
the rice, and scaring the bejabbers out of various waterfowl. I was able to film a little of this, but it was pretty far away. Still, I was excited about seeing the eagle. You can see this short clip (wmv 3850kb) of the eagle in the morning. The image below
is a frame from that clip.
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                                                            EAGLE 02/20/06
The birders went on, and I moved to the tower, where Greg, a photographer who frequently visits the park, came up. Then, for no particular reason, Greg and I talked and just looked out over Pilant Lake and the general area of the Observation tower.
We stayed there for about 5 hours. There was no need to go anywhere else, since a lot of things happened right there. During the day, the eagle came back, about 5 or 6 times. I actually lost count. It seemed to always appear from the direction of the
far treeline on Pilant Lake (North of the our position), and would fly up towards the Mile Stretch (South). HOW COOL IS THAT? Throughout the day, Northern Harriers could be seen skimming above the tips of the rice fields. Twice, we got to watch
as one, then another of the Great Blue Herons picked up a large siren and ate it. On one of the eagle flybys, another raptor, an Osprey, began to harrass the eagle, flying above it and dropping down at the eagle. Finally, the eagle had enough,
and flew up towards the Harrier. They finally went out of sight to the North over the far treeline. A King Rail sauntered by.
At another time (remember this is ALL DURING THE SAME DAY), some park visitors were talking to us, and one of them expressed disappointment at not seeing an American Bittern. Not long after this comment (maybe 5 minutes??) Greg looked
to the left, and an American Bittern was doing the "ninja step" across the trail, going from 40 Acre Lake to Pilant Lake, and not more than 20 yards away. So, the no-longer disappointed visitors rushed over to see it. On another one of the eagle flyovers,
it passed over us, quite high, and then when it was over the corner of 40 Acre Lake, it turned back towards us and began diving towards the lake, looking like it might be targeting something in the water just a little south west of the wooden bridge. This
put the eagle right where I was almost looking into the sun--so a camera was useless. Still, I could see its talons extended as it briefly descended. But, it broke off, still far above the highest tree, and flew up and continued south.
Finally, I guess around 3 o'clock, Greg decided to go look at Horseshoe Lake, and I decided to head back to the VC. I saw him stop at the culvert (yes, the one right by the tower)and squat down and start shooting (turns out he was trying to get a snipe),
and I decided to try to shoot photos of the Bittern that had passed by before. I found the Bittern, and as I was moving around a tree to get a better angle, I had a feeling, and I looked up. The Eagle was making another pass, and was flying straight towards
me; but still out at the edge of the clearing in the rice. I wanted to move back, and looked down to be sure of my footing. I looked up, and I'd lost sight of the eagle. I got back up on the trail quickly, and looked just in time to see the eagle flying over the trail
on just the other side of the Observation Tower. I watched it go by, let my eyes track down, and there was Greg pointing his camera up. He GOT it!
What a cool day! You can see some of Greg's pictures from that day here.
There are 7 pictures on that page. I'm pretty sure the first 6 were taken Feb. 5. There's a flock of waterfowl panicked by the approach of the eagle from the above background; 2 shots of the Osprey and Eagle; and 3 shots of the eagle on that last approach
as it flew over Greg. Earlier on Feb. 19th, I was treated to a long sighting of a Bald Eagle hunting. I didn't see a successful hunt, but watching the eagle work in the cold and windy solitude of the park was a wonderful experience. The four images below
are taken from this video clip. (wmv 20 mb). I haven't broken up the clip, so it's about 3 minutes long, and pretty big. But I love watching the Eagle for those 3 minutes or so; and I think you will, too.
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EAGLE SLOW SWOOP                EAGLE HOVER                            EAGLE DROP                         EAGLE PASSES BY

January 04, 2004 Today's weather was not bad for a winter's day. Although overcast, it was near 70 degrees. After arriving at the park, I was invited to join a short expedition (a few hours). The objective was to view a Bald Eagle's nest, hopefully with adult
eagles in or near it. After arriving at the site, we looked around (I'd never seen a nest before). With my binoculars, I saw, off in a tree (hundreds of yards away), a dark spot with a white spot over it. How I was able to pick this out is a mystery. Anyway, the
spotting scope was brought over, and we took turns looking though it.

Let me tell you how it felt when I peered into the eyepiece. There, up near a break in the tree, was a Bald Eagle. Seeing this great bird through the glass, as it surveyed the field, was quite moving. Actually, most raptors have this effect on me. Their keen
scrutiny, the strength and beauty of their forms...these things always make me pause. Once, at Brazos Bend State Park, I stood there gaping like an idiot as a Red-Tailed Hawk (I think) flew down parallel to the islands, and moving up the pier numbers,
came right towards me (at the water station), and then turned over my head and flew down the Spillway Trail.
Watching this eagle at rest, though vigilant, was a fine experience. Why? Maybe because we rarely see that which we hold in awe acting like *we* might. "Taking it easy", so to speak. Also, I was fairly sure that it could see us from all those hundreds of
yards away. In any case, I took my turns looking through the spotting scope, and watched this silent hunter as the wind ruffled its feathers from time to time. The nest, by the way, was about 3 trees over from this one. The image below (FARAWAY EAGLE)
was the best I could do for a photo. I borrowed Dylan's telephoto attachment and got this (thanks, Dylan!). Unfortunately, "digiscoping" is still beyond my abilities with my camera. After returning to the park, I was able to get out on the trails for a while.
Alligators were out basking, although there was no sun, and some of them seemed to be exactly where I saw them last week. Nice way to start a year!
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FARAWAY EAGLE

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Brazos Bend State Park The main page.

Brazos Bend State Park Volunteer's Page The volunteer's main page.

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