If you are near the river or other places that eagles frequent, you will probably see some of our resident eagles; these are eagles that live here all year and likely have nests in the area that they tend to. You might see some of the young from these nests either flying or perched, and they won’t look like an adult eagle. Newly fledged eagles are brown, except for a little mottling visible on the underside of their wings when flying.

Most of these young eagles would have taken their first flight anywhere from early to mid-July. A bald eagle’s nest is located on average 70-90 feet up in our region, so it’s not a small drop to the ground. These young eagles have to get it right the first time. 

Sometimes, young eagles are spotted perched halfway down the nest tree, huddled next to the trunk, and I had to wonder if it was a flight or controlled fall through branches that got them there.

The first few flights after a young eagle’s initial fledge may be an exercise in frustration; they might have landed in the middle of a bunch of small branches in a tree, or maybe in a bush that they sank into after landing. There are more than the usual calls to wildlife authorities about eagles on the ground and seemingly injured. In reality, even adult eagles are on the ground at times, usually on gravel bars or river banks, or even bathing in the water. Fledglings are on the ground a little more, catching their breath after perhaps a less-than-perfect flight. Also, the ground is easier to land on than a small section of a branch in a tree.

Starting around now, you might see some of the young flying. They have been through the basic skills and are now learning advanced skills to ensure their survival through the upcoming fall and winter, when they will be truly on their own. If you see a couple of large brown birds cavorting and jousting with each other in the sky, they could be siblings, or even the young from two or more nests, in mock aerial combat. This is largely play jousting and a display of talons, but in play, these young eagles learn the skills they will need to survive and eventually defend themselves and their nest and territory in the coming years. 

Such is the path of learning at Eagle Flight School.