Practicing Flight At Eagle Nest

Yesterday he ate, and today he was very active practicing lifting off the nest, sometimes 7 feet high or more. We were SURE he was going to fly, but in the end he didn't. The wind this afternoon was good, and he'd spread his wings and let the wind move him, as he tried to balance, to the right, to the left. It was so amazing to watch him learning. Note that his mother is in a tree quite close, watching his every move.

I took most of my photos using a tripod today from a different vantage point, with the sky behind the nest, and I was really pleased with the results...remember this nest is about 1000 feet away. I really hope you take the time to visit the FLICKR site and view all the photos today, as they really tell a story of what he does. It's so amazing to watch!!!

As a side note, I'm up in the San Juans on a boat and have been since Monday...but I heard this morning that the eaglet fledged this morning at 7:15 AM...his first flight!!!!!

To watch a short video of him "flapping his wings" in anticipation of flight, click here...

To see photos of him flying several days later, click here!

To read a recent article for the Portland Tribune/Hillsboro edition, click here!