bald eagle tales

For the last four years, a pair of resident eagles has returned to the same cottonwood tree in my neighborhood each year and begun the same patient work of refurbishing their nest. Before settling into the cottonwood, they lived in an old fir tree directly across from my kitchen window; that nest was destroyed by a windstorm in 2021. Truth be told, these birds have been here longer than most of the homes in my neighborhood.

Last year, their refurbishing work began in mid-November. Some days brought a burst of activity, with the eagles carrying twigs, sticks, clutches of dry weeds, and other material to the nest for hours on end. On other days, all they seemed to do was perch on the tallest tree and watch the world go by.

In the early weeks of their return, much of their time appears devoted to the nest itself. One of the pair often circles wide over the trees before disappearing for a few minutes, only to return carrying a stick or branch clasped in its talons. The other waits nearby, sometimes perched high in a neighboring tree, watching the activity below. The work proceeds without hurry, but steadily. A branch arrives, it is added, tested, and sometimes repositioned. Occasionally the pair calls to one another, a sharp cry that carries across the neighborhood and reminds anyone listening that the eagles have returned. Every so often, they drop a branch into a yard or onto a neighbor’s rooftop, as if to see whether we are paying attention.

The nest, though only a few years old, is already large. Still, each year the birds continue to add to it, weaving new sticks into the old structure and adjusting the edges until it once again feels ready for another season. As the garden slowly wakes into spring, the eagles above it are preparing for their own new chapter.

The birds have been taking turns sitting regularly on the nest since early April. It is likely that they are close to hatching, or that the chicks have already arrived. Because they are nesting in a deciduous tree, the leaves are filling in quickly now, making it harder to spot any movement in the nest. If hatchlings are there, we should begin to see signs of them in the next few weeks. They will need more feeding, so the adult eagles should soon be making more frequent food deliveries.

From the garden and my kitchen window, it is possible to watch this quiet tale unfold over many weeks. While we prepare beds, plant seeds, and tidy the borders, the eagles have their own season unfolding overhead.

🐞