Visitors to the neighborhood eagle’s nest

On August 8, 2026July 24, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography2 Comments

It was mid-February and I was still spending a few mornings at the eagle’s nest in my neighborhood.

The babies looked fully grown but they were still practicing their flapping, building up those wing muscles.

There are so many other fun things to see at the nest. One morning a kestrel couple landed right in front of me and then started mating. She looked over at me like “Can I get some help here?”

Most mornings I see nanday parakeets, or at least hear them go screaming by. This morning a few of them landed on the wires and trees nearby.

They were chewing on the bark of an old pine tree. I couldn’t tell if they were eating the bark or eating the bugs off the bark.

They stayed a short while then took off across the field.

This was a special morning seeing a deer couple so close. They walked along the utility field but stopped right in front of me.

The beautiful buck started eating right in front of me. I did step behind a big oak tree when they walked up but he could still see me. We don’t get those big antlers often in our neighborhood.

After a while she ducked into the reeds along the utility field and he took off across the street.

Another “As the Eagle World Turns” chapter

On June 22, 2026July 6, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography, Florida animals2 Comments

In early February the baby eagles in my neighborhood were getting big enough to get some great views of them. One was down in the nest sleeping on this morning.

Mom was leaving the nest several times a day to get food. I think there was something stuck in that straw because she dropped it off and the baby started eating something.

Mom keeping an eye out and taking a much needed break.

This was Mom’s new boyfriend, Mickey, coming in with a stick. Her mate was hit by a car in January and this guy moved in quickly. The babies would not let him land on the nest and he didn’t seem to push it. One morning he started bringing in sticks and then taking them to the other side of the utility tower. I think he was working on a new nest.

The kids are wondering what this new guy was doing.

Mom landed on the that side of the tower and was helping him place the sticks. I was wondering if they would actually start a new family while those kids were still over on the other side.

Mickey was bringing in food for Mom and after a few bites she would take the rest over to the kids.

Then they mated! I guess this means they are now an official couple. They didn’t finish the new nest and eventually Mom and the babies let Mickey land on the original nest. More to come on these babies growing up.

There’s always a squirrel on this feeder nearby. The owner has it hanging on a tree close to the branch. I wonder if they think the birds are eating all of the seeds.

A crow landed in front of me with a snack.

The kestrels are always around when I visit the eagle nest.

The cardinal’s color pops out in the dead reeds.

One morning a bluebird couple was hanging out on the bat box in front of the eagle nest. He had a snack and did not share it with his girlfriend.

As I stood there waiting for the baby eagles to wake up I looked over towards the reeds and saw the above in front of me. There was only a short 2 rail fence in between us but I didn’t think they would come over the fence. I had my monopod and big heavy camera in front of me.

That black coyote is beautiful. This couple has been seen a lot early in the morning in this area.

They both looked over at me. I heard something right behind me. I turned around and a guy was walking his 2 little dogs. I said to him ‘Do you see those 2 coyotes over there?” He said “I do now” as he picked up both dogs and walked backwards towards his condo. The coyotes trotted off and into the reeds.

“As The Eagle World Turns”

On May 11, 2026June 8, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photographyLeave a comment

This is Margie and Max. They have a nest in my neighborhood on a utility tower. Margie has been nesting here around 10+ years. She lost her mate, Major, in early 2024 and Max showed up later that spring and flirted with her. They both came back that following fall and had 1 baby in early 2025. The above was taken in the fall of 2025 when they were working on rebuilding the nest. They had 2 babies that we think were born in late December.
(Louise from Project Eagle Watch gave the parents the names. Babies are not usually named but get a number.)

Looking down the utility field I can see one of the parents hanging out on a tower farther away.

This was Margie calling out to Max in mid-January. Max was hit by a car right by the nest and Louise, who rescues eagles, was able to get him but he did not survive. Margie spent several days calling out for her mate. Now she was going to have to leave the 2 babies alone and go out by herself to get the food several times a day.

This was the first time I was seeing the babies on the nest. They were finally big enough to see them peeking out. Mom seemed to be doing okay but she had to have been exhausted feeding them alone.

A week later the babies were getting big and starting to flap their wings hard, although they still just had pin feathers. Another male started hanging around nearby but Margie wouldn’t let him get near the nest yet. More to come on him.

I get to see a lot of other wildlife as I wait for the baby eagles to wake up. Kestrels also spend winters in this same area. The kestrel above was sitting on a bat box along the utility field. He flew down and caught a cricket to eat.