Tree Top Canoodling

As you know, we have a mated pair of bald eagles that have been regularly in attendance around the marsh area for several weeks. Yesterday morning I was set up and watching the male of the pair when who should suddenly come swooping in but the lovely Mrs. Eagle. She landed on the branch next to him and they seemed extremely happy and excited to be together. They began calling loudly and then started touching beaks and nipping at each other’s necks. At one point Mrs. Eagle was rubbing her face against his back and shoulder. They continued calling and acting quite animated before finally settling down but continued to make eyes at one another.

After a short while it was apparently time to leave and she left first, launching herself off the branch and surprising me by swooping so low that she jumped right out of my frame. Seconds later it was Mr. Eagle’s turn and he also jumped off and flew out after his mate. It was a fun and exciting event to witness!

57 thoughts on “Tree Top Canoodling”

Chillbrook on February 16, 2013 at 3:14 pm said:

How lovely to see birds showing affection to each other. Fabulous photographs of a very tender moment Phil! 🙂

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- Phil Lanoue on February 16, 2013 at 5:39 pm said:
  
  Thank much Adrian! They did seem quite taken with each other. 🙂
  
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Gunta on February 16, 2013 at 3:16 pm said:

How thrilling for you (and us, too)!

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- Phil Lanoue on February 16, 2013 at 5:39 pm said:
  
  Thanks glad you liked these! I was happy to see it for sure!
  
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Susan Sohl on February 16, 2013 at 3:21 pm said:

Absolutely beautiful pictures! �Would like to have been there to hear them cooing to each other.

________________________________

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- Phil Lanoue on February 16, 2013 at 5:40 pm said:
  
  Thank you Sue! Yes they were really sqeaking and sqwaking like crazy!
  
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LyndaMichele on February 16, 2013 at 3:34 pm said:

These are fantastic – what a great moment, and to be able to catch it all!

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- Phil Lanoue on February 16, 2013 at 5:41 pm said:
  
  Thanks very much, glad you enjoyed these eagle pics!
  
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Rick Alonzo Photography on February 16, 2013 at 4:14 pm said:

Awesome series Phil! Love it!

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- Phil Lanoue on February 16, 2013 at 5:41 pm said:
  
  Thanks Rick I appreciate it!
  
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janmasyn on February 16, 2013 at 5:13 pm said:

Love is in the air, absolutely amazing pictures Phil.

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- Phil Lanoue on February 16, 2013 at 5:42 pm said:
  
  So happy you like these Jan. Yes they looked to be in love. 🙂
  
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roughseasinthemed on February 16, 2013 at 5:14 pm said:

Actually I think the conversation goes like this;

‘have you seen that idiot with the camera/’

‘hahahahahaha’

‘let’s go give him a surprise!’

But seriously, lovely photos, brought a smile to my face.

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- Phil Lanoue on February 16, 2013 at 5:43 pm said:
  
  That’s probably close to what happened. Heh heh
  Actually later in the day I got pics of one dropping a ‘deposit’ from his perch in the tree. Glad I was not directly under him.
  Dopey eagle. 😛
  Happy you liked the pics! 🙂
  
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Diana on February 16, 2013 at 5:26 pm said:

Wow, what great pictures. What a terrific series of these beautiful birds and their relationship to each other. Would have love to have been there to see them, however, your pictures are the next best thing to being there.

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- Phil Lanoue on February 16, 2013 at 5:44 pm said:
  
  Thank you for your very kind words and I’m happy you enjoyed these photos!
  
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dinajohnston on February 16, 2013 at 5:56 pm said:

Such an amazing thing to see and you caught it perfect!

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- Phil Lanoue on February 16, 2013 at 6:11 pm said:
  
  Thanks much, glad you liked them!
  
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Kate on February 16, 2013 at 7:06 pm said:

I love hearing eagles talk. It always makes me smile because looking at them, you’d think their voices would be deep and low, but instead out comes these little high squeaks and cackles. Fantastic photos, Phil, and what an exciting time you must’ve had getting to watch this happen!

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- Phil Lanoue on February 17, 2013 at 2:52 pm said:
  
  It is funny to hear them call isn’t it? 😆 They are huge birds and make those little squeaky sounds.
  Thanks very much for checking out these pics Kate!
  
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sallywoodphotography on February 16, 2013 at 7:28 pm said:

very neat, I have never been able to hear eagles…

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- Phil Lanoue on February 17, 2013 at 2:52 pm said:
  
  They are funny to hear, a big bird like that making squeaky sounds. 🙂 Thanks Sally
  
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Amy on February 16, 2013 at 8:38 pm said:

I’m so touched by seeing (and reading) how they nipping at each other’s necks and she was rubbing her face against his back and shoulder. Thank you, Phil!!

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- Phil Lanoue on February 17, 2013 at 2:53 pm said:
  
  I was quite thrilled to see them acting this way toward each other. 🙂
  Thank you for commenting Amy!
  
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Bella Remy Photography on February 16, 2013 at 10:05 pm said:

Wait a minute, is canoodling an official birding term? In fact, I’ve been guilty when I caught two red shoulder hawks doing the same thing. Although I see a lot of screaming and nagging here. LOL ! What a wonderful experience Phil.

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- Phil Lanoue on February 17, 2013 at 2:57 pm said:
  
  Oh yes, canoodling is an official scientific bird behavior term. But only us with top secret security clearance get to know this type of info. 😯 😉 They were squeaking and squawking at each other but getting along wonderfully!
  
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Littlesundog on February 17, 2013 at 12:15 am said:

Phil, these photos are astounding! What a great and exciting time this must have been to document this pair together.

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- Phil Lanoue on February 17, 2013 at 2:58 pm said:
  
  Thank you very much! Yes I was quite thrilled to be able to witness and photograph this amazing behavior! 🙂
  
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lylekrahn on February 17, 2013 at 2:12 am said:

Canoodling, romance … what’s next on the wildlife blog?

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- Phil Lanoue on February 17, 2013 at 2:58 pm said:
  
  Somewhere in here I got pics of gators getting frisky. 😯 😀
  
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crazytraintotinkytown on February 17, 2013 at 6:21 am said:

Lovely pics, and look forward to maybe seeing some pictures of the young in due course

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- Phil Lanoue on February 17, 2013 at 3:00 pm said:
  
  Thanks, so glad you liked these eagle pics! Could be a ways off before they start a family. That male looks to me like more of a teenager then a full grown adult who is ready to take on the responsibilities of a family and a mortgage on a big new nest. He just might be more into flying around and having fun at this point.
  
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Garden Walk Garden Talk on February 17, 2013 at 8:51 am said:

They must have had a Happy Valentine’s Day! Lovely pair and sequence of photos.

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- Phil Lanoue on February 17, 2013 at 3:01 pm said:
  
  I bet they did!
  Thanks, I’m happy you liked these photos!
  
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Nels on February 17, 2013 at 10:21 am said:

Bald Eagle photos are on my photography bucket list. Haven’t run across any in my travels yet….

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- Phil Lanoue on February 17, 2013 at 3:02 pm said:
  
  They are a thrill to see in the wild. I always say… any day you see a bald eagle is a good day. 🙂
  
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Katariina Partala on February 17, 2013 at 12:56 pm said:

So cute!! You should have posted these pics on Valentine’s Day! 😀

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- Phil Lanoue on February 17, 2013 at 3:04 pm said:
  
  I wish I could have, but I didn’t see this romantic event until the day after on the 15th. 😦
  You would think they would be more cooperative and provide this experience on the proper day wouldn’t you?! 😀
  
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  - Katariina Partala on February 23, 2013 at 1:09 pm said:
    
    Of course 😉 I was pretty sure you took these pics before Valentine’s Day and just decided not to publish them before!! :p
    
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Dina ♥ on February 17, 2013 at 8:15 pm said:

How lovely – cooing in perfect harmony! Wonderful shots.

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- Phil Lanoue on February 18, 2013 at 10:42 am said:
  
  Thank you for your kind words and I’m happy you enjoyed the photos!
  
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meyer23 on February 18, 2013 at 6:01 am said:

Again an awesome and impressive Story

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- Phil Lanoue on February 18, 2013 at 10:42 am said:
  
  I am very glad you liked this, thanks!
  
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Eddie Two Hawks on February 18, 2013 at 10:21 am said:

exciting set of photographs and story Phil thanks to your patience!

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- Phil Lanoue on February 18, 2013 at 10:43 am said:
  
  Thank you very much for looking and commenting and I appreciate your kind words!
  
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Maggie Davey on February 18, 2013 at 10:44 am said:

What awesome creatures birds of prey are! Do the bald eagles mate for life? We have osprey that visit the Lake District here in the UK every year and were always the same pair, until a year or so ago, when a new lady appeared with the male!

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- Phil Lanoue on February 19, 2013 at 11:14 am said:
  
  Thank you very much Maggie and I believe they do indeed mate for life. This pair has only recently gotten together and although they seem to be happy we do not know for sure if they will stay together permanently and raise a family here but we sure hope they do. The male seems rather young and could just be a teenager that has other interests besides taking on adult responsibilities. 🙂
  
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Gracie on February 18, 2013 at 12:12 pm said:

Wow, these are excellent, Phil!

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- Phil Lanoue on February 19, 2013 at 11:15 am said:
  
  I’m very happy you enjoyed the eagle photos Gracie, thanks!
  
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Fotografin Thee Ballmer on February 19, 2013 at 10:44 am said:

How cool is that!! But isn’t it a bit early for mating? I doubt that you have an early Spring over there, right ? But the behavior shows definitively a pure flirting. I don’t know about these eagles, but many birds stays a lifetime together.,
regards Thee

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- Phil Lanoue on February 19, 2013 at 11:18 am said:
  
  Glad you liked these eagle photos! Not too early for mating (we have seen evidence of it) 🙂 They can begin a courtship and mating process even earlier then this. It has to be early in order to have Spring young in the nest.
  This pair is likely not quite at that stage yet and we do not know for sure if they will stay together as full time mates and raise a family nearby but we hope they do.
  
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drawandshoot on February 19, 2013 at 12:21 pm said:

They are telling stories. How beautiful to observe such communication.
Phil, your sensitivity and skill are outstanding. Amazing.

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- Phil Lanoue on February 22, 2013 at 12:25 pm said:
  
  I greatly appreciate your very kind comments Karen thank you so much.
  
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Patrizia M. on February 22, 2013 at 6:07 pm said:

Che scatti fantastici, wowwww

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- Phil Lanoue on February 23, 2013 at 10:54 am said:
  
  Così felice che vi piacciano 🙂
  
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Molly Argo on February 23, 2013 at 8:33 pm said:

Beautiful, touching photography!

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- Phil Lanoue on February 24, 2013 at 11:25 am said:
  
  I appreciate you looking and commenting Molly, thanks!
  
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