Bald Eagle Tour!
We are located within only a few miles of 4 active Bald Eagle nests. Sightings are common throughout the year around the area, but the nesting season is when you are sure to catch a glimpse of adult eagles as they build and repair the nest, incubate eggs, feed their young and finally coax the young eaglets out of the nest! Scroll down for more.
Join us throughout the year as we view Bald Eagle nest sites to watch these magnificent birds raise a family!
Nest building and repair to old nests begins in the fall. Nests are added onto year after year, and can reach a weight of one ton! Nests sometimes topple due to the sheer weight or from storm winds.
Adult Bald Eagles average 31 inches in height. Average wingspan is 83 inches and average weight is 9.5 pounds.
There is no plumage difference between the sexes, although females are larger than males.
One to three eggs are laid as early as December and as late as February. Incubation lasts approximately 35 days. Both adults take part in the incubation process.
After the young eagles hatch, the mother stays with them for protection while the father hunts for the family's food. As the eaglets grow larger, both adults participate in the hunt to feed the insatiable appetites of the young. Eaglets can gain as much as a pound of body weight per week!
A variety of wild animals are apparently consumed by the eagles. Local eagles are often seen snatching catfish from farm ponds and cottontail rabbits out of wildlife food plots. There have been numerous reports of adult birds following harvesting machines through ag fields as they flush rodents. Some other items found at nesting sites have been map turtle and soft-shelled turtle shells, wood duck wings, gar scales and assorted small mammal bones.
After juvenile eagles leave the nest, they can be seen around the area as they search for food, with mom and dad never far away. Juveniles have a dark overall appearance, and a dark bill. They do not attain the solid white head/tail until four to five years of age, when they are sexually mature.
Even though Bald Eagles are the top-of-the-line raptor in our area and our nation's symbol, this does not exempt them from harassment by smaller feathered beings. Mockingbirds apparently do not like to share the same tree with young bald eagles. This mockingbird was seen repeatedly striking the eagle in the back, a behavior called "mobbing".
Call us today at (662) 962-4868 or email us to schedule a visit to one of our local nest sites. It is fun for the entire family! As one recent visitor exclaimed, "You have made my year!"
Those who hope in the Lord will mount up with wings as eagles. They will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31
