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Posted by Ken Schneider on 22:59:13 12/16/07
Earlier, I wondered whether the Bald Eagle mating behavior I photographed on December 4 at our small lake in west Miramar may be an indicator that we'd possibly find a nest nearby. My own experience is limited, having witnessed copulation of Bald Eagles only once, at a nest tree in Texas.
The best I can glean from the Internet is that copulation between adults usually takes place near the nest site and about a week or so before egg-laying. Southern populations usually copulate in late fall or early winter.
From the National Eagle Center: Paired males will typically leave their wintering area for the nesting territory before the female, so the serious courting usually takes place near the nest site rather than at their wintering location. Either the male or the female may initiate copulation and typically copulation occurs in the six days before the first egg is laid and continues until the last egg is laid. Eagles will copulate throughout the summer and into fall, but typically do not produce young, rather this may reinforce the pair bond
The Florida Eagle Nest Locator does not show any current nest sites reasonably nearby. During the past few days, two observers have each reported, separately, seeing a Bald Eagle carrying nesting material, about 1-2 miles northwest of our location. We might be alert for evidence of a nest, possibly along the US-27 corridor between Pembroke Road and Pines Boulevard.
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