Bald Eagle Season

The Fall and Winter seasons of each year are an exciting time for me. I call this time “Bald Eagle Season.” It is a hunting term but the description fits: It’s because this time of year, the younger Bald Eagles are either searching for a mate or the older ones are looking to reconnect with their mate from the previous nesting season. And I, as a wildlife photographer, am out “hunting” for them! They are generally very visible here locally, if you just LOOK UP!
Where? Those very high cell phone towers or high tension power line towers around our urban areas are one of their favorite perches. For some reason, they seem to enjoy meeting up in used Osprey nests. One of the most well known places are along S. Independence Blvd. and in the Kempsville area of Virginia Beach.
The Bald Eagles have outstanding 360 degree views from these perches and can see other Bald Eagles. Bald Eagles have “eagle eyes” and can easily distinguish their mate as well as other eagles that may have come into their “territory.”  Eagles use both monocular and binocular vision, meaning they can use they eyes independently or together depending on what they are looking at, and they can see great distances. I have read that an eagle can see something the size of a rabbit at more than three miles away.
When they have successfully reconnected with their mates or found a new one, nest building starts. If they are using an already established nest, the pair will begin to add sticks to it. If they are building a new one, the structure of choice locally is generally a tall, loblolly pine tree, a native tree of Virginia. Nest building intensifies in October. It is usually complete by late December, when courtship begins. The Center for Conservation Biology, a research group within The College of William and Mary and the Virginia Commonwealth University maintains a Bald Eagle nest locator: https://ccbbirds.org/maps/#eagles .
I’ve  seen courtship and mating behavior from late December through mid-January, and most local pairs have laid eggs by mid-February. Virtually all pairs in our Chesapeake  Bay region have eggs laid by the end of February.
This pre egg laying time of Bald Eagle Season can be very rewarding for both seasoned wildlife photographers and casual observers because our Bald Eagles are out and visible. I remember a time in the mid 1960’s we did not even have Bald Eagles here locally, because of the effects of the chemical DDT. They have made a fantastic rebound! When you are out and about, remember to LOOK UP!

Bald Eagles on S. Independence Blvd., VA Beach, VA.