Golden Eagle                                     click to enlarge

In our part of the country we have a lot of Golden Eagles. They seem suited to this high rugged country where the cliff tops are often higher than the clouds.

The rock faces that jut out over the valleys below are perfect for their nests and give them places to rest while they survey the countryside that stretches for as far as the eye can see. They are rarely seen at rest as they are much more comfortable floating on the thermals that rise up along the edge of these mountains.

There are a pair of these Golden eagles that have made this spot the northern limit of their range and spend much of their time here hunting the rabbits that make up their prey. Occasionally they get everyone excited as it looks like they’re going to start a nest but for the last 19 years it hasn’t happened. They fool us by indulging in “false nest-building” where they carry in nesting materials and start to build a nest then give it up part way through  the process.

Over the years this pair or maybe their offspring have flown back here with their young, usually one or two recently fledged birds, having them roost in the old dead snag that sits on the cliff’s edge and then flown away, leaving them to figure out the rest of their lives. The youngsters, being used to the parents being gone for long periods of time while they are out hunting, don’t seem to realize that this time is different. This time they don’t come back.

Over the period of several days the young hop around the tree gradually taking little short flights from tree to cliff-top and back again until hunger sets in. Then their activity becomes more frantic until the bravest one suddenly takes off and begins looking for food. It isn’t long before the other follows suit and they’re both gone from their perches more than they’re there. They return to the snag less and less until one day they’re gone. They seldom come back for the rest of the summer.

This image is of one of the adults in late spring using the last of the days thermals to gain altitude prior to heading south to where its main nest site is. Huge thunderheads have been building all day and a front is moving in that should bring some much-needed rain. The weather doesn’t seem to bother the birds and they are often seen riding the wind squalls that precede a storm. Although much of their flight is somewhat nearer the ground so their contact time once they spot prey is less, they often get to great heights, hanging motionless in the sky, just a dark spot against the blue, higher than the clouds but lower than the heavens.