No Flowers, But Plenty of Sticks and Attention

On this Valentine’s Day I was treated to seeing a pair of adult bald eagles in their nest high in a tree. Photographing the birds and knowing it was Valentine’s Day prompted my curiosity about the pair bonds for bald eagles.

According to several sources I trust, bald eagles mate for life. Their courtship rituals include very impressive aerobatic maneuvers high in the sky. Possibly even more important in the pair-bonding process is the mutual building of their nest. And speaking of the nest, bald eagles often use the same nest year after year, piling on more sticks with each nesting season. That explains why some nests appear so large on the landscape.

Both parents participate in incubating the eggs and feeding the young. Just imagine the undertaking feeding two or three young bald eagles must be! That is a lot of dead stuff to pick through or to carry back to the nest - along with some live prey.

As I researched bald eagles I came across another interesting bit of information. While bald eagles are thought to be some of the most “committed to their mate” birds flying our skies, they have been known to expand their horizons with other eagles on occasion. Maybe I should have left those details out of this Valentine’s Day post?

Happy Valentine’s Day!!