Respect
We were privileged to witness this pair of Bald Eagles engage in courtship / coupling behaviors for the better part of an hour. She landed on the branch, he circled. Then he landed next to her and they sat together, looked at one another and at their surroundings. Then he took off and circled and flew off over the lake for about 5-10 minutes. When he returned, he landed to her right, as above. As he was coming in to land, she began to bow down and then as he actually landed, she raised her left wing as he screeched at her. This went on for about 15-30 seconds. Then they began to screech together for another 15-30 seconds. It was fascinating to watch and photograph. We watched this pair last year at the same nesting site but never got to see this intricate interaction! I should say, I believe it's the same pair as we were just 100 yards from the nest and no other eagles were sited all afternoon. Wonderful day and awesome learning experience!
Respect
We were privileged to witness this pair of Bald Eagles engage in courtship / coupling behaviors for the better part of an hour. She landed on the branch, he circled. Then he landed next to her and they sat together, looked at one another and at their surroundings. Then he took off and circled and flew off over the lake for about 5-10 minutes. When he returned, he landed to her right, as above. As he was coming in to land, she began to bow down and then as he actually landed, she raised her left wing as he screeched at her. This went on for about 15-30 seconds. Then they began to screech together for another 15-30 seconds. It was fascinating to watch and photograph. We watched this pair last year at the same nesting site but never got to see this intricate interaction! I should say, I believe it's the same pair as we were just 100 yards from the nest and no other eagles were sited all afternoon. Wonderful day and awesome learning experience!