We’ve been fortunate to have our resident pair of Bald Eagles nesting here at Smith Rock again this year. They have two chicks that are thriving and will be flying from the nest soon. However, I can’t say the same for our Golden Eagles.
None of us here had seen any movement by the two chicks and no sightings of the adults for quite some time. The assumption was made by the professionals that the chicks were dead and that the adults had left the nest.
So, what to do? It is always a good thing to find out what caused the deaths, so the decision was made to recover one or both of the chicks. Ian Caldwell, one of the district employee’s and an avid rock climber, volunteered to be belayed down the face of the rock. Here are some pictures:
Ian is next to the red arrow and the nest is at the blue one.
Only one of the chicks was still in the nest so that one was recovered and is now at a laboratory in Massachusetts for an autopsy. We probably won’t hear anything back for couple of months.
07/05/2014
Joyce and I welcomed Jim and Jeanne Glaspey to Smith Rock for a visit on Sunday the 29th. It’s always fun for us to have visitor’s, especially Jim and Jeanne.
07/12/2014
Man, time flies when your having fun! Where have all the days gone anyway?
Our pair of eagle are now flying and being taught to hunt. The two adults should be leaving Smith Rock in the very near future and leaving the fledglings to fend for themselves. They will hang around here for a while and then they will be gone. Hopefully, the pair of adults will return next year.
More next time.
Barry & Joyce
