More of Sunday March 20, 2011 Visit to Nest of Lib & Belle




10:36am - After disappearing for a while, Belle returns to the nest and comes in for a landing on the left side of the nest.

 

The Chase:  Twenty three seconds after Belle lands near the nest in the tree (see photo above), the Intruder lands in the tree.

Perspective picture above:  The nest tree with Belle on the left and Trudy Intruder high up on a branch to the right.
Below the the close-up view of the above picture.  Each eagle is staring at the other.



Above:  It was quite a happy moment when we realized that Lib had flown in.

 

Liberty in a familiar pose.  It's just so great to see our guy again.  We miss you Lib!



Lib and his bright breast feathers reflect off the sun...it was so bright it looked pink and I thought from the distance it was his brood patch!  Not a great photo but with every picture you can just tell it's Liberty and that is such a great feeling! 



Sunday at Liberty and Belle's Nest

Sunday, March 20, 2011, at the nest of Eagle Nest of Liberty and Belle (and eaglet Paddy O'Joy who passed away that afternoon). It was mostly a cloudy day, and this is my first attempt at putting my pictures online and blogging so you won't be seeing much.  My intent is to give you a better perspective of the happenings at the nest since the Intruder arrived the morning that Paddy O'Joy was hatched. Of course, we don't know the exact time of anything.  The Intruder, (we'll come to call her Trudy for short) could have been in the area for days or mere hours. We only know that Liberty did not show up to give Belle and Paddy their first family meal together. No one who watches the nest and loves Lib and Belle will ever forget that day. As I write this, five days later, the battle for the Shepherstown nest along the Potomac River in West Virginia, continues.

Perspective of view.  Arrival picture at NCTC.  Belle is in the nest and Intruder "Trudy" is lurking on the branch above the nest.



9:02am - Belle in the nest (look eyelevel to the front of the nest just to right of the cut off stump) AND if you watch Lib and Belle online, you can see the video camera on the branch to the right of nest.  Intruder  is sitting on a branch high above the nest watching everything.



9:04:15am - Intruder takes off from branch above the nest to swing around behind the tree on her way to the other side of the nest to taunt Belle and Eaglet Paddy O'Joy, who was born Thursday, March 17, 2011.  Need an arrow, but if you look closely, you can see Intruder in the distance in the very middle of the picture.  Apologies for the "Where's Waldo" effect.



9:04:22am - Intruder lands on branch on left side of Belle in the nest.  Belle turns to face Intruder.

 

 9:07am - Intruder could sit there all day.  Belle gets anxious in the nest with PO'J.



9:08am - Intruder takes off.  Belle still in nest.  See close-up below of same picture.

 

9:08am - Close-up of above photo shows Intruder taking off and you can see Belle watching the Intruder from the nest.

TO BE CONTINUED . . .