Eagle Sighting!

After church on Sunday, Mom told us that there was a special place that she wanted to go for the Great Backyard Bird Count.  When we arrived, Dad was the first the spy the bird.  It was a BALD EAGLE!

We saw the eagle roosting in a pine tree.  It was a beautiful bird.  It had yellow eyes, a yellow beak, and yellow feet.  The bird's head and tail were white.  The body feathers were dark brown.  The eagle was about 3 feet tall from head to tail.

Resident Eagle in Spring, Texas

Before too much longer, we spied the eagle's nest.  The nest was high up in a pine tree, not too far behind the adult eagle.

Eagle's Nest

When we looked closely at the nest, we could see some flapping wings.  It was a baby eagle or eaglet!

Look closely under the large limb to see the outline of the eaglet.

It was an amazing sight to see such beautiful birds.  Mom told Missy and me that this pair of Texas bald eagles have been nesting here since 1999.  They have fledged at least 28 eaglets.

After we went home, we decided to learn all about bald eagles.  Bald eagles are birds of prey.  That means that they hunt and feed on other animals.  Bald eagles like to live near lakes because they eat lots of fish.

A mother eagle begins building her nest in early October in Texas.  By December, she lays one to three eggs.  The eaglets hatch in January.  The babies fledge (learn to fly) in about twelve weeks.  

An eagle's nest is very large.  Since the parent's wing span is about six to eight feet across, they need a very big nest to hold themselves and their babies.  Sometimes the nests can be more than nine feet across!

We also learned that the bald eagle is the national emblem or symbol for the United States of America.  Our leaders chose the bald eagle as our national emblem on June 20, 1782.  

If you would like to read more about bald eagles, just check out my August 10, 2010 post here:   Bald Eagles (it includes bald eagle fact sheets)

Here's a great activity book to learn more about bald eagles:  Bald Eagle Educational Activity Guide

If you would like to color an eagle, just click here:  Eagle Coloring Page