It isn't often that something "big" happens to me in the woods. Today was one of those days! I was walking through the woods, looking for signs of green in the leaf debris. I found scarlet cups scattered around and just a few leaves. I waded back and forth across the creek, saw a possible warbler flitting around the trees. All pretty mundane, and normal for this time of year. As I walked further along, following deer trails, I was pondering making a trail for others to follow through here. I was also amazed that the trail which I trimmed back the brush around last year was so narrow. Nature hates a void!

Stopping for a breath, I gazed around. The I saw it, a huge nest in the top of a tree a ways away! Way too big to be a squirrel nest, maybe, I thought, it would be an owl nest! I went a little closer and zoomed in with my camera. I hoped to see the fuzzy heads of owlets. I saw a motion as a large bird suddenly flew out of the nest. I panned with the camera to get a shot of it and heard the noise of it's wings. I knew right then it wasn't an owl. Owl wings and flight are virtually silent, and I could clearly hear the flaps. It was an Eagle!

It was making chittering and clacking noises. It was not happy that I was there!. I snapped a couple of shots of the nest and continued on my walk. It kept an "eagle" eye on me. After I was away from the area, it flew back to the nest. My walk took me further away and then, to get back to where I needed to go, I circled the area where the nest was. A second eagle had joined the first, taking over guard duty as the first left to hunt down by the river.

So how about some facts about eagles? First they mate for life, and they can live 28 years. They do not lay eggs until mature at 4-5 years old, and don't lay eggs every year. Their wingspan is 6-8 feet, these are huge birds! Some time in March or April they will lay 2-3 eggs and incubate them for 35 days. It is most common that only one chick will survive. Some 10 -13 weeks after hatch they will take their first flights. After another 4-5 weeks they will leave the nesting area entirely.

So, in order to tell you where not to go, as not to disturb their nesting, I feel I must tell you where the nest is. Please do not go near. Eagles will abandon a nest if it receives too much pressure. So here is where it is. If you go South of the Farm, down the tractor path, and then head to the east where the woods border Freemans land, you will be close. There is a strip of pines that go across, east to west. The nest is in the woods, just off the east end of the pines. If you go to the gate through the pines, you should be able to see where the nest is, but I ask that you do not go closer. Once the leaves are on you will not be able to see it at all. If the eagles are doing flybys, you are too close! I am going to see if I can use a scope a couple of times to see if I can see how many hatchlings there are, but it will be from across the fields.

So that is my excitement for the day! I hope you are finding your own discoveries, as you are blessed to be somewhere that you can get out in nature and enjoy the spring weather!