WILDLIFE
SUSAN BURGESS
People always ask how to tell an eagle from a vulture or hawk. An eagle’s
wings are long and come straight out from the body. A vulture displays a
slight V while flying. This eagle is soaring toward the viewer, magnificent
wings outstretched.
noise levels, how active the eagles are, how many eagles
they see, whether the birds seem stressed and whether there
is construction nearby. Because they can’t see into the nests
from the ground, they watch for small eaglet heads to pop up
above the sides of the nests.
“I’ve always been fascinated by eagles,” Owen says.
“They’re beautiful, powerful, fierce-looking and majestic all
in one. I’m patriotic and they are a symbol of our country, so
that’s mixed into my feeling about them and is the icing on
the cake for me.”
TESTING THEIR WINGS
In recent years, 13 eaglets have fledged from nests in the
Savannas Preserve. Fledging occurs when a young eagle flies
from its nest for the first time. This year one of the nests lost
its babies for some unknown reason and the parents laid eggs
a second time. If the eggs hatch, the youngsters will fledge in
mid-July.
But the young eagles will still return to the nest for a few
weeks. Their parents, commonly referred to by watchers as
mom and dad, will continue to feed them while teaching
them to hunt on their own.
Juvenile eagles won’t get their white head and tail feathers
until they are between 4 and 5 years old. At that point they
are mature enough to breed and begin families of their own.
Where they build their nests depends on the food supply and
whether they can find a territory at least one mile from other
eagle nests.
Florida eagles, which are smaller than northern eagles,
usually lay eggs from mid-December to January and incubate
them for 35 days. The eaglets fledge when they are about 10-
12 weeks old. Often, in late May or June.
EAGLE PARENTING
Eagles are good parents. They take turns sitting on the eggs
— though the female spends more time incubating and the
male spends more time hunting and bringing food to the nest.
Both feed the babies small bits of food, usually fish, held in
their beaks. When the eaglets are too large to snuggle under
mom or dad, the parents usually spend the night nearby,
often in the same tree, watching over them, ready to defend
against predators like owls and raccoons.
There used to be an eagle cam on property owned by the
developer of Tesoro at the south end of the city. But when the
developer pulled out due to financial difficulties, the camera
came down. >>
48 Port St. Lucie Magazine
FWC
A parent eagle presides over its large, messy-looking stick nest with two dark
gray eaglets inside. The babies are getting their pinfeathers which makes them
around four weeks old.
SUSAN BURGESS
The eagle is flying away from the viewer with both white head and tail
visible. From the back, the eagle’s wings still appear to be straight out from
its body.
AUDUBON EAGLE WATCH
For more information, call Audubon of Martin County
288.2637 and ask for Linda Wishney or
visit www.audubonmartincounty.org
/www.audubonmartincounty.org