Monty and Marsha's young eaglet - Bi?Bəda?
Earlier this year, I received an email from a gentleman who lives in London. He said his 10-year-old son, Alex, was interested in photographing bald eagles and that the family was planning a trip to Seattle. At the time, the Montlake Cut Bald Eagles, Monty and Marsha and their young eaglet, were still spending time near their nest site. The site is easily seen and normally young Bald Eagles will hang around the Montlake area for a month or two after they fledge. So, it seemed like a great opportunity for Alex to get his first photos of Bald Eagles..
This year, only one of Monty and Marsha's young safely fledged. You can read the post, see the photos, and learn how the young eagle got its name by clicking on the following link:
https://unionbaywatch.blogspot.com/2023/07/bibda.html
In early August, by the time Alex arrived in Seattle, the eagle's nest had fallen and Bi?Beda? had learned to fly. I was unable to meet Alex during the brief time they were here. So, I sent his father the locations where I thought they were likely to find the eagle family i.e. near the nest tree or north of Montlake Cut near the UW Waterfront Activities Center. The following are Alex's photos and his story:
My Trip to the Seattle EaglesBy Alex Gray, London, Age 10
We came to America for a holiday and one of my must-try-to-see things was bald eagles. As we came up the West Coast from San Francisco through the Cascades mountain range and the redwoods, I was impatient to see one and when we got to Seattle I was a bit bored, because there were no wild animals in the big concrete city. But I was wrong. As I nagged my dad to tell me when we were seeing eagles, he spat out and said we were going to try to see one the next day. I was so excited, I couldn't wait.
He told me that before we set off traveling, he had searched "eagles in Seattle' on Google and found this blog. He had emailed in to find out more, and was told that the baby eagle mentioned on the blog was in a tree with its nest on the ground, because it had fallen down. Larry had suggested to go to the pinpoint of the tree on the Google maps and see if it was there. If not, he told us to look in the trees on the other side of the creek.
We did just that, and when we found the spot, I was speechless and so excited to try and see it because it is my favorite animal.
I managed to find it by following its calls. As I saw it, I got my camera out and took some good shots of it.
I noticed that its parents weren't there, so I scanned the horizon to search for them like he said, but we couldn't see them so we went to the other area to see if the adults were there.
Incredibly, we spotted one! We quietly snuck up to the mature bald eagle, keeping a safe distance away, and got some wowing photos.
But then the annoying but beautiful Blue Angels planes, which were practicing for the Seattle Airshow,...
...flew by and scared the eagle away. As it took off, we got to see its massive majestic wings. It was gone in a flash. We had to go looking again.
On the way back to the other side, we spotted the eagle again, sitting on a log in the middle of the water.
As we ventured toward the shore, a bunch of curious kayakers scared it away.
So off we went again...
... back to the tree where we started, to see if it flew over there.
It didn't, but the young eagle was still there, screeching for food. The second we saw it, it flew away and fledged!
It was a marvelous event, incredible to see its first time flying long distance.
It did not end there, though, because I nagged my parents to go to the other side again, so we did and somehow we saw both of them together in the air. The mature bald eagle swept down into a tree near the road but soon flew away again to hunt for fish. sadly our eagle spotting came to an end as we headed off to see some more volcanos - but as we left , we looked out the rear window of the car and saw all three eagles circling around a big oak tree.
It was one of my favorite parts of the holiday and it was all thanks to Larry for helping us find the right place. So, if you're in Seattle, I recommend you come the see the eagles that call Seattle home.
Thank you to Alex, and his father, for this inspiring story and Alex's wonderful photos!
Alex,
Please, keep up the good work. The whole world needs to see that wild creatures are, or should be, our neighbors in every city and town.
Sincerely,
Larry
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Once young Bald Eagles learn to fly their next critical achievement is to find their own food. They hang around with their parents for a month or two, but before winter begins they must be self-sufficient.
A couple weeks after Alex left, in mid-August, Bi?Bəda? was still hanging around in Monty and Marsha's territory. Here it was seen just north of the Waterfront Activities Center still in the same area where Alex got his photos.
Further north an adult, probably one of the parents, was perched on top of a birch snag and carefully watching Union Bay. A sitting eagle seems to always be watching for a good opportunity to catch food i.e. hunting. The young eagle kept fidgeting about, waiting impatiently. By choosing to hunt, in full view of the young one, the adult was providing an excellent demonstration of the skills the young one needed to develop - including patience.
Later, toward the end of August, I found the young one flying down to search for food on its own. It landed on a log, just offshore, similar to the adult in Alex's photo.
It appeared to try and catch a fish, or a frog, but ended up just splashing the water.
Soon, it took off and flew to a more distant island. I found it very interesting to see how the eagle turned its tail to a vertical position to help slow its progress before landing.
After inspecting that island it headed back towards the trees along the shoreline. While reviewing these photos I noticed that its mouth was closed in this photo.
However, as the wings reached the bottom of the downstroke the mouth opened up.
On the next upstroke the mouth is closed again. I reviewed enough photos to realize that the wingbeats and the pace of the breathing were not correlated. The eagle did not open its mouth with every downstroke. However, thinking about breathing reminded me that the lungs of birds are functionally far more efficient than ours.
Like us, they use oxygen and they breathe in and out. However, they pass fresh oxygenated air through their lungs constantly. They take in oxygen as they inhale and as they exhale. They do this by passing one half of their inhalation through the lungs initially. The second half of the inhalation goes into a variety of internal sacs and during the exhale process it is pushed through the lungs in the same direction as the first half of the breath.
If this feels complicated and confusing don't worry. It is challenging. Click on the following link to see diagrams that will hopefully make the process a bit easier to visualize.
I found the first diagram with the white background to be the most helpful.
After the young one returned from the distant island, it pulled a twig off the tree it landed in. I think young eagles must try out a wide variety of potential food sources before they figure out what is really good to eat.
After it gave up on the twig, the young one returned to a little island near the log. This time it apparently found the spinal remnants of an earlier meal. However, it appeared to be picked clean.
The next day, on August 31st - or as Alex would say 31st August - I saw the young one once more. It was begging loudly for food while sitting in the same area.
Since then, during September, I do not recall seeing any Bald Eagles. This is not a surprise. It happens every year. My hope is, that the parents lead the young ones to a location where salmon are plentiful and easy to catch.
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Maybe someday, if we restore the salmon runs through Union Bay and the Lake Washington watershed, other Bald Eagles will bring their young to feed around Union Bay in September.
By the way, the Friends of Arboretum Creek are working to help restore flow and habitat in Arboretum Creek, just to the south of this location. Our ultimate goal is to help native fish return to the creek, while also removing pollution, especially that which harms salmon. You can learn more about our efforts at:
and get involved via:
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The good news is, Monty and Marsha have always returned to their territory and have always rebuilt their nest when it has fallen. I expect they will come back sometime in October and certainly by November. By late March 2024, they should have rebuilt the nest and Marsha should have laid eggs and be starting the cycle again.
I have never seen any of their offspring return with their parents. From what I have read and seen young ones tend to join other immature eagles and together they fly about searching for food, while they continue to mature.
By 2028, if this young one survives, it will have developed a white head and a white tail, at which point it should be ready to settle down, find a mate, pick a nest site (and hopefully a territory to defend), and begin raising young of its own.
Have a great day on Union Bay...where nature lives in the city and visitors are welcome!
Sincerely,
Larry
Going Native:
Each of us, who breathes the air, drinks water, and eats food should be helping to protect our environment. Local efforts are most effective and sustainable. Native plants and trees encourage the largest diversity of lifeforms because of their long intertwined history with our local environment and native creatures. Even the microbes in the soil are native to each local landscape.
I hope we can inspire ourselves, our neighbors, and local businesses to respect native flora and support native wildlife at every opportunity. I have learned that our most logical approach to native trees and plants (in order of priority) should be to:
1) Learn and leave established native flora undisturbed.2) Remove invasive species and then wait to see if native plants begin to grow without assistance. (When native plants start on their own, then these plants or trees are likely the most appropriate flora for the habitat.)3) Scatter seeds from nearby native plants in a similar habitat.4) If you feel you must add a new plant then select a native plant while considering how the plant fits with the specific habitat and understanding the plant's logical place in the normal succession of native plants.
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Keystone native plants are an important new idea. Douglas Tallamy, in the book "Nature's Best Hope ", explains that caterpillars supply more energy to birds, particularly young birds in their nests, than any other plant eater. He also mentions that 14% of our native plants, i.e. Keystone Plants, provide food for 90% of our caterpillars. This unique subset of native plants and trees enables critical moths, butterflies, and caterpillars that in turn provide food for the great majority of birds, especially during the breeding season.
Note: Flowering plants and trees, i.e. those pollinated by bees, are also included as Keystone Plants.
This video explains the native keystone plants very nicely:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5cXccWx030
The Top Keystone Genera in our ecoregion i.e. Plants and trees you might want in your yard:
Additional content available here:
https://wos.org/wos-wp/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Native-Plant-Resources-10-7-22.pdf
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In the area below, I am displaying at least one photo with each post to help challenge us to know the difference between native and non-native lifeforms.
According to Douglas Tallamy, and his work with the National Wildlife Foundation, this is the most productive keystone plant or tree, for caterpillars, which are the prime food for young birds, in Western Washington. What tree is it?
Scroll down for the answer.
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Oregon White Oak: The scientific name is Quercus garryana. The range of this Keystone tree has been critically reduced due to fire suppression - which allows conifers to grow up and shade them out. David Douglas reported that Native Americans set annual grass fires around these oak trees. This apparently had multiple benefits including:
- Supplying food, i.e. acorns, for humans, birds and others.
- Reducing competition from faster growing conifers,
- Maintaining the prairies for camas growth,
- Creating soft, fresh ground cover that attracts deer, and
- Habitat for caterpillars, which are an critical food source for young birds.
If you have a large enough yard this tree would be a very productive and beautiful addition.
To see the top ten Keystone plant and tree list, with local sample species, for Western Washington Click Here.
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The Email Challenge:
In response, I have set up my own email list. With each post, I will manually send out an announcement. If you would like to be added to my personal email list please send me an email requesting to be added. Something like:
Larry, Please add me to your personal email list.
My email address is:
LDHubbell@comcast.net
Thank you!
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The Comment Challenge:
Bottom Line:
If you write a long comment, please, copy it before hitting enter. Then, if the comment function fails to record your information, you can send the comment directly to me using email.
My email address is:
LDHubbell@comcast.net
Larry
A Parting Shot:
A lovely story, Larry!
ReplyDeleteI am very thankful that Alex (and his father) were willing to share the experience. Larry
ReplyDeleteFantastic piece!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
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