Kevin and I were expecting a bountiful day in Eleven Mile Canyon today but we would have been surprised to know that there would be only one eagle encounter. It was a good one though, the eagle posed for a couple of minutes in the tree and then launched before my arms were too tried to track it! Unfortunately the majestic bird flew off and we never saw him again.
Great Day for American Dippers
It was a good day for American Dipper sightings though! The morning sun was shining beautifully on the rocks in the South Platte River and the little dippers seemed to be enjoying it! Pictures of the dippers are nice, but it takes a video to really appreciate the little guys, and I think I got a pretty good one of this little fellow diving for food under the flowing water!
The Eaglets are Doing Fine
I’ve been worried that last week’s hail storms had injured our eaglets and I was really worried when I saw no activity in the nest when I arrived. I watched for about 15 minutes from the lower parking lot and saw no motion at all in the nest. The parents were nowhere around and it wasn’t looking good. However a couple hours later when we left the canyon there were two healthy eaglets standing on the rim of the nest and one of the parents was on a branch nearby diligently watching the action.
They are getting really big at this time, big enough to defend themselves from any attackers I’m sure. They still have their baby feathers, but I’m sure they will be fluffing up soon! In a couple of weeks they will be stretching their wings as they try to get airborne!
Steven W. Krull
Steve Krull has been photographing and writing of the beauty and diversity of the Colorado Rocky Mountain wilderness for over two decades. His work includes thousands of published images and literary works which can be viewed on this site and others including Amazon and Barnes and Noble
Thats great news, so the young eagles survived the heavy weather conditions.
Definitely, I’ve been worried about them since the hail storm