St. Johns County has over forty identified bald eagle nesting sites, including one at Alpine Groves Park, where our Freedom Butterfly Garden is located. Click the map image for a printable PDF (Adobe Reader required) showing in-county locations (the map is over 1MB in size, so be patient).
The official nesting season is from October to May. However, the month of March offers some interesting viewing opportunities for bird fanciers watching from the ground with only a set of binoculars. That is the month that the eaglets start leaving the nest. First, they try "branching" - hopping from branch to branch as they build up their leg and wing strength. This is also the time the young birds are the hungriest, adding a pound or more a week to their size. Then, they will try out their wings for short flights from the nest. The newly-airborn fledglings soon find out that they haven't mastered all the skills, most importantly - how to stop. There are several "crash landings" during flight school. By May the eaglets have become young eagles, as their new cap of white feathers announces. They are ready to depart their birth nest and face the challenges of self-sufficiency in order to find a lifelong mate, build a nest, and begin many years raising families of their own.
The American Eagle Foundation has two online northeast Florida "eagle-cams" that provide live feeds from nests at undisclosed locations. Be aware that eagles are carnivores and young eagles must have plenty of fresh meat. Some scenes could be graphic. This is what happens in the wild in order to survive.
If you want to trace the journey of a nest from egg to adult, you can visit the
Berry College in Georgia has an eagle cam on campus. It is the only live feed of an eagle nest in Georgia. Nesting, hatching, parenting, and maturing start later in Georgia than in northeast Florida.
Berry College Eaglecam
Unfortunately, none of these cams has a microphone. You'd be surprised at what you hear. The sound Americans have come to associate with a bald eagle is actually that of the red-tailed hawk. The bald eagle has a rather timid call - not something we'd associate with our national symbol. So our movie media dubbed in a more robust red-talked hawk call. To hear the difference (and perhaps understand why the deception was attractive) play the sounds at each of these links from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology - and turn your speakers up.
Bald Eagle Calls
Red-Tailed Hawk Calls
Then take a walk down the nature trail of Alpine Groves Park where you can see a bald eagle nest. And even if you don't see them, you may be able to hear them - now that you know what to listen for!
Unfortunately, none of these cams has a microphone. You'd be surprised at what you hear. The sound Americans have come to associate with a bald eagle is actually that of the red-tailed hawk. The bald eagle has a rather timid call - not something we'd associate with our national symbol. So our movie media dubbed in a more robust red-talked hawk call. To hear the difference (and perhaps understand why the deception was attractive) play the sounds at each of these links from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology - and turn your speakers up.
Bald Eagle Calls
Red-Tailed Hawk Calls
Then take a walk down the nature trail of Alpine Groves Park where you can see a bald eagle nest. And even if you don't see them, you may be able to hear them - now that you know what to listen for!
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