August

Post Fledging
This is the period when the young have fledged but are still flying around the nest territory.  This period is usually only 3-8 days before the adults abandon the chicks and the parents both leave. In the urban areas, as implied above, this process is sometimes being delayed as the chicks keep getting fed in the nest after the 12 weeks while in the wilderness situation the parents would not normally bring food into the nest after fledging.  In the more wilderness areas we very seldom saw adults bring food to the nest site. On occasion the adults would be feeding 1/4 mile or so from the nest and the young would see them, make aggressive attacks to take the food with the parents simply backing off.   There was never ‘training to hunt activity by the parents’.

After the abandonment by the parents the young would spend another 4 – 6 days in the nest territory, frequently calling, and then they would be gone.  In the urban setting we are again seeing both parents and young stay around the nesting territory for longer periods and in a few instances we believe that the adults may not even leave the general area.

Adult bald eagles begin fall migration when the northern lakes and rivers freeze over. Depending on location, they usually migrate to the coast or large rivers near dams, where the water remains open. Wind currents play a large roll in determining their flight pattern.

Many eagles in Florida do not migrate, but remain year-round. Most bald eagles migrate south in the fall to areas with sufficient food, and return north in the spring to nest. In the spring, eagles migrate quickly; during the fall they migrate rather slow, sometimes remaining in an area for a week or so before continuing on.

Immature Bald Eagles spend the first four years of their lives in nomadic exploration of vast territories and can fly hundreds of miles per day.

Facts and Photos

• Leaving the Nest
• Nesting Timeline