Eagles - Juvenile and Adult, and more

We walked around Pond Apple Trail this morning. We didn’t see any birds until just before we were ready to leave. Overhead was a beautiful eagle that still had some juvenile markings. It takes about 5 years for the eagle to get the white head and tail, along with dark brown plumage. Once the eagle has adult plumage, it also signals that it is sexually mature.

This looked like a nice little cormorant family

This big Florida Softshell Turtle would peek out at us, then duck back under the water. They are such odd creatures.

We dropped by the Bailey Tract for a quick walk through. The Mottled Duck below seems to be getting plenty to eat!

We saw one small gator. He was probably about 4 feet long.

And then we had a real treat. Thank you to the lady who pointed out an American Bittern to us. It was camouflaged really well in the weeds. This is the first time for me to see and photograph this pretty little bird. It was so cool to see.

I have completed the Audubon Eagle Watch training and will be reporting on nest #LE991 on Sanibel this season. It was interesting to see a juvenile eagle sitting in the nest and checking it out today. I grabbed my camera and took a quick a snapshot. But, by the time I could set up my tripod to get a better photo, it had flown away.

Then, later, I saw one of the adult Bald Eagles in the nest.

That moment when you realize you’ve been spotted.

It’s so cool to watch them lift up and then drop down from the nest.