Eagle Nipper Pesters Parent
"Mom..? Mom..? Hey mom...? Are you paying attention to me?"
Photographer Mike J Dukarm has been following a clutch of bald eagles and caught an amusing moment. A juvenile eagle lightly preens a mature nest-mate (probably mom), while she looks on a bit disapprovingly. I can see her thinking “Fer cripes sake, when are the kids gonna leave the nest?” It’s hard looking majestic when the children are pulling at you, I imagine.
Dukarm is part of a group of hobbyist photographers participating in a program known asThe Bald Eagles of Centerport based out of Centerport, New York. They document the daily lives of a pair of bald eagles that live in the town and help raise awareness and support responsible stewardship of the birds. It is clear from their website and social media entries that they have deep respect and admiration for their feathered charges.
The Centerport eagle watchers tell a fascinating story on their website, which I believe you should click through and read fully, detailing how the current mated pairing is a new configuration. After fathering over a dozen successful chicks since the group begin their watch in 2017, the original Dad Eagle passed away from avian flu in 2022. Several new suitors arrived to woo Mom, with one persistent suitor winning out in the end. In 2024, the new pairing fledged three eaglets and the new mate has been given the title of Dad2.
Find Dukarm’s Instagram channel by clicking through the source video, embedded below.
The Bald Eagles of Centerport (birdwatching group website and calendar sales)
You no doubt know that iggles are the next thing to vultures, they just look better and get positive PR.
Their website is coming back as domain name expired, but there is a Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BaldEaglesofCenterport , and a FB group, for anyone still on FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/baldeaglesofcenterportNY/