June

Summer Range: Bald Eagles’ breeding range spans the continent from Alaska to Newfoundland, and south to Baja California and Florida. In spring, eagles migrate in two stages: adults first, then immatures. They fly during daylight and often over ranges of hills and other areas of high relief where thermal updrafts facilitate their flight.

Hatching/Rearing/Fledging
Taking Care of Fledglings:
4 - 6 weeks
 
Fledglings are big birds! Once the young fledge from the nest, they may associate with their parents for 6 weeks, and both of the parents continue to feed them during this time. The babies watch their parents fish, but don't learn how to catch live fish themselves for a long time. The first fish they "catch" are carcasses on shorelines, and then they move up to picking up dead fish floating on the water. Fortunately, their parents fed them well, so most fledgling eagles weigh as much as or more than their parents when they fledge.

Fledglings are not good at catching fish when they first leave the nest. They pick up dead fish along shorelines first, and then progress to picking up dead fish floating in rivers and lakes. It may take months for an eagle to start catching its own live fish, and much longer for it to become reliable at fishing. So young birds must spend more time fishing to catch the same number of fish as adults.

All in all, the first years of a Bald Eagle's life are a time of enormous learning and exploring the world around them.

Nesting activity begins several weeks before egg-laying. Egg-laying dates vary throughout the U.S., ranging from October in Florida, to late April or even early May in the northern United States. The bald eagle nesting season tends to be longer in the southern U.S., and re-nesting following nest failure is more common there as well. In the Pacific Northwest, nest construction begins around January 1, and females typically initiate egg laying soon after February 1. Bald eagles lay one to four eggs a year (typically 2), which hatch after about 35 days of incubation. Only one egg is laid per day, and not always on successive days. Hatching of young occurs on different days, with the result that chicks in the same nest are sometimes of unequal size. Eaglets make their first unsteady flights about 10 to 12 weeks after hatching, and fledge (leave their nests) within a few days after that first flight. However, young birds usually remain in the vicinity of the nest for several weeks after fledging because they are almost completely dependent on their parents for food until they disperse from the nesting territory approximately 6 weeks later.

Mating season - varies greatly by region. In the South it may last from late September through November, while in the Great Plains and Mountain West, it may last from January through March. In Alaska it lasts from late March to early April.

In the Vancouver area eggs are laid in late March and early April, while in northern Canada and Alaska eggs are laid in May. In Florida, eggs are laid from November through January.

Nesting cycle - From the time the parents build the nest and the young are on their own, takes about 20 weeks. During the nesting cycle the parents remain within one to two miles of the nest.

Facts and Photos

• Nesting Timeline