[Bristol-Birds] Re: [blueridgebirders] Burke's Garden Revisited
- From: "Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: blueridgebirders@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Bristol-Birds" <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:37:11 +0000
Hi Stan,
The behavior of Bald Eagles working on a nest in late fall or early winter well
before egg laying dates is normal.
Even that early, a mated pair will be near the nest together. In some southern
areas eagles do not migrate but winter on or near their nesting territories.
Eagles in Virginia are sometimes known to range out up to six miles from the
nest.
We had two eagles perched rather close when the Bristol Bird Club was up there
in 2009 but they were further south in the valley.
It would seem that a pair of Bald Eagles could do a pretty good job at
defending most if not all of Burkes Garden as a territory.
So you can imagine that Bald Eagles can cover a lot of air space and distance
in that valley during and after nest building and not have abandoned the nest
whatsoever.
They did not resurrect their nesting activity, nest building or site fidelity.
This is a normal process.
Nest building, reconstruction, remodeling and redecorating are part of Bald
Eagle mating, pair bonding and can continue well into summer, even with young
in the nest.
This nest is a great find and you are to be congratulated on having discovered
nest building back in December -- right on schedule !!!
Let's go birding . . . .
Wallace Coffey
Bristol, TN
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