Slow and Easy Day

After working all morning yesterday Harriet and M15 take it easy this morning.

I find harriet and M15 in the same spots as they were last night. Just after 6:00 am they are vocalizing. I think they were having a conversation on what they were going to do today.lol Both drop down into the nest and do some areating and maybe a ckeck list for the day. Harriet hops over to the porch branch and M15 still in the nest. Harriet does a bit of preening. I guess she still had to get a few feathers in place from her bath at the pond last night. There she goes checking out her talons as usual . Must be an Eagle thing.  M15 flies up to the attic branch.Both perching and looking around. Harriet hops back in the nest and M15 takes off to the west pasture treeline and grabs a stick for the nest. Great job! Looks like Harriet takes the rail from M and placed herself. Some beak-kissing then just sitting next to each other. Good to see this close bonding between the two of them. Like when they went to the pond last night for a bath together. Donna told me all about it. She said it was very heartwarming to see how M15 watched Harriet and how She does her bath ,then M15 would copy her like "ohh so that's how you do it" . Then M15 would do the right wing dip ,then the left wing dip then dunk the head and come up and flap the wings and shake all over. M15 saw how Harriet takes HER baths.  Then Donna said they were side by side and both were taking their baths together. How awesome. We have never seen Ozzie and Harriet do that together. One at a time yes but not at the same time. Now this does not by no means , mean M15 didn't know how to take a bath. Surely in his few yrs before he met Harriet he took a bath. It just means that Our Harriet is the Queen of baths and showed M15 the way she does it.LOL
So any how with the stick placed and the beaking done,M15 heads off for another stick from the west pasture. Another rail placed then both rest for a bit then M15 up to the attic branch and Harriet still in the nest. Now we're thinking it just might be about time for "whoopie" but Harriet has other plans. She heads off to one of the front pins.Vocalizes a few times then here she comes with her pine branch.

 














M15 drops down into the nest to help Harriet  but she already has a place for this in mind. She places her branch and M15 sits and waits. M15 then head out towards the front pine  grabs a long thin bit of moss,out over the road then across the road to the tall pine. Now what in the world is he doing. Even Harriet is watching and vocalizing like she is asking too "where are you going with that ?" He sits there for a few then drops down curvers around and heads back to the nest with a stick and not the long strand of moss.                                                                                                                          
       

           










The rail placed M15 back up to the attic branch and Harriet stays in the nest. Then all of a sudden, harriet takes off to the East and swoops down by the road  then back up like she saw some thing. Then she comes back right over us from the  front of the Church. As we all had our backs turned , M15 left and we don't know which way he went. Harriet flies up to the outer branch left and vocalizes a few times. She keeps looking past us to the E S E. Maybe she see's M15.

Harriet is looking around vocalizes a few times then heads off towards the  SE past the two Norfolk pines dips down then I lost sight of her. Donna and I stay a bit to just to see if maybe ,just maybe they might come back.

 With the busy day they had yesterday between, nestorations, mating, eating on the nest and a bath ,I guess they decided to go relax some where nice and quiet. Watching them become sooo bonded and comfortable around each other is a great thing.It puts a big smile on mine and Donna's face. They are becoming more and more of a couple as time pass's in my opinion.
I can think back now and see so much of this behavior in Harriet and Ozzie that it just warms my heart to be able to watch a new partnership/relationship grow and get stronger each day.

M15 is Back !!!!!!

So I turn on the computer click on the cam and who do I get to see . Harriet ,well at least I think it's Harriet. So I check out face book and I hear vocals so I switch back to the cam and it's Slim so I think. OK that so it's early I can deal with the mix up. It's time for me to head to the nest. I arrive get set up and take a few pics. Something Is just not setting right with me I don't know what it is but would find out soon enough. Who I think is Slim drops down into the nest and Harriet is steady vocalizing.I'm giggling think she still doesn't want him in the nest .He hops up to the attic branch and Harriet is still vocalizing.  Both Harriet and what I think is Slim drop down into the nest. They do some aerating then Donna and I  hear the unmistakable vocals there was mating in the nest.It was too
 fast and still a bit dark to get photo's.But still this seemed a bit off for Donna and I ..
 By this time Bob,Jeff, Dave and Wilbur have shown up. Harriet and what we think is Slim are vocalizing and looking around.Both Donna and I commented several times that Harriet was very vocal this morning and wondered what she was seeing. He goes back up to the attic branch then back down in the nest again with Harriet and  again with the vocals. Harriet goes to the veranda and he goes back up to the attic branch. Harriet still vocal and both looking around. he then joins Harriet on the veranda and we are waiting to see "bonding/mating " again.Still we haven't caught on that this is not Slim. Boy were we slow this morning. Harriet goes back into the nest and he follows her. Both aerating again then Harriet hops over to the porch branch. Still with the vocals. from Harriet. By this time a few others have arrived. Bob, Jeff and Dave. Harriet still on the porch being very vocal then he leaves the nest ,flies around the pond and scares off the other bids that are there and flies to the right pond tree.
Who we think is Slim sat on the pond tree for a bit and Harriet still vocal. The  he flies back to the nest tree.
This is when it hit me that this is NOT Slim but M15. Holy Shit ! I let everyone know and they all checked their photo's and sure enough it's M15 . Well I'll be. No wonder it looked like Harriet first thing this morning on the cam and things just weren't sitting right . Know wonder Harriet was so vocal this morning too. Now we really have the story's going about why Harriet had been so vocal . She was fussing at M15 for being gone and how she had to put up with the young'en Slim that stopped by on and on. Poor Harriet .I wonder what she was really thinking about all of this.
Well now we are scrambling to get photo's to prove this is M15. Donna and I know the makers. We let the big lens know also so they can get a better photo. M15 does a PS right into the nest and Jeff just started laughing and said that sealed the deal for him. M15 always did a PS into the nest.. Donna is already by the sidewalk with Wilbur and Dave so I join them after Jeff leaves to go home.
We have a better view of M15's back side. Sure enough we get the shot we need to tell it's M15. We already know it wasn't Slim because of too much white on his head and tail. How in the world we missed this is beyond me.
Even the eyes , how did we miss that. Boy oh boy ....
M15 drops down into the nest with Harriet again. Both aerating then Harriet back to the porch branch and M15 up to the attic branch. Harriet still vocalizing off an on . She roused her feathers then goes to the branch above the attic branch. Those unmistakable vocals start again and M15 hops up next to Harriet but not on top of her so Harriet side kicked him not once but twice . OMG we are just laughing. Harriet would do this to Ozzie . Boy she sure is running on hormones. If her time is still the same with M15 as it was with Ozzie ,she is ready.
M15 still doesn't hop up on Harriet and so Harriet goes to her branch just a fussing and M15 goes way to the other side of the nest tree. Ohh the laughter from all of us. Harriet is sitting looking to the NW  with her back to M15 and he is sitting looking to the SW then turns his back on her. More laughter from those of us still watching. Not to long after this M15 fies off heading in the ESE direction. Harriet watches him leave then preens some then something caught her eye and she is looking n the same direction that M15 took. Soon Harriet leaves heads over the Church then in the same direction as M15 . I watch her circling then out of sight.
Wow what a morning. I just hope Slim is ok and left without a fight. M15 looks good. Have no idea where he has been or when he came home. Of course it had to be some time last night and no one really noticed it was him. Good to have him home. Slim is young and hopefully he will not put up a fight for the nest and territory. M15 spent 6 months  with Harriet and chased off others. This is his home more than it was Slims.  But again only time will tell if Slim comes back.                                

Slim looking around to the NW then NE from the riiight pond tree

I was watching Harriet and Slim on the cam before I left the house .Some time after 4 I think it was , I forgot to note the time both Harriet and Slim are vocalizing. I head for the nest and see Harriet above the attic branch and Slim on the upper right outer branch when I get there.
Both vocalize around 6:13 am. Slim drops down into the nest and Harriet is vocalizing at him.Slim pays her no never mind and is moving a stick around. Slim then heads up to the attic branch. A couple of mins later they both drop down into the nest and are aerating the nest. This is a good sign. Harriet hops on to the porch branch and leaves Slim to aerating the nest. Harriet is vocalizing off and on and Slim goes about what he is doing. Harriet moves to the branch above the attic branch ,then Slim to the attic branch. Both are looking around. Donna is already here ,then Jeff arrives and tells us about the GHO ( Great Horned Owl ) that attacked/went after Harriet last night and how Harriet chased it. This was around 10:00 pm. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXXz-El-IuU
Now we know why they were both on the lookout sore of speak this morning. Slim flies to the right pond tree both are watching to the NW/NE .

Harriet sleeping,Slim up on the higher branch

Harriet

So I 'm watching Slim then turn to see what Harriet is doing. I see her taking a nap. Aww Harriet must have had a ruff night keeping an eye out for the GHO.                      

Harriet snoozing

Slim done with checking the area out flies back to the nest and again is moving a stick around. This is encouraging to see him doing this.

Satisfied with the placement of the stick Slim hops out onto the porch branch. Harriet is still on her branch. 7:54 am Slim heads to the poles. Harriet stays .
Harriet vocalizes off and on and does some preening. Harriet has visitors stop by. Starlings, Grackles, a Shrike, Doves and many others. Around 9:00 am takes off towards the pond area and it looked like maybe she was going after something or maybe just chasing it off. I could see anything but there was Cattle Egrets and a Great Blue Heron by the pond so maybe that's what she scared off..lol
Harriet makes a flight around the back of the pond flying to the right pond tree and vocalizes. Yep I guess she was letting them know it's her pond area. A few crows are back and while Harriet was sitting one crow dive bombs her.

Harriet and a Crow

Harriet tells crow to be gone with itself . Harriet sits and rouses her feathers. I love when she does this She fluffs up all her feathers and shakes.        

Harriet rousing her feathers 

Harriet sits for a bit then flies up to get part of a branch from the tree. Look at how she is looking to her left as she goes up to get the branch. Amazing !

Harriet breaks the branch but only gets a small part of it as the rest falls to the ground.  

                     



Harriet heads back to the nest with the small part of the branch. Done with that Harriet flies up to her perching spot. Then Harriet starts vocalizing like we have heard her do many of times when she see's Ozzie coming . We start looking for Slim and sure enough here he comes from the NW and flies right over and past us to the SSE. Harriet vocalizing the whole time and watching as he goes. Now what a difference this is to observe . Slim seems very independent whereas M15 wasn't in the beginning of their relationship. M15 would follow Harriet all over the place. Maybe it was because E6 was around and he didn't want M15 near his nest ..lol
Harriet goes back to preening. I think she is taking this time to get her feathers all straighten out from the rain and maybe from last night. Before I forget. The reason I think it was a GHO is that there has been one in the area for awhile now. Last Season one almost knocked Harriet off the nest and Ozzie went after it. It has been known for GHO to take over Eagles nest when they are not around or try when they are around.                

Harriet 

Harriet's ruffled panties as I call them..lol

Harriet satisfied with her preening heads off towards the SE at 10:42 am. It's good to see some kind of "normalcy" again. Only time will tell if they will get into "bonding/mating " mood and I hope it's soon. But I know All in Eagle Time ! 

How soon will Slim get the Hint ?

This morning was nice and quiet. No news people ,no one else and No Eagles. Well where are they this morning. As it got lighter out still no sightings of them. I didn't get the time but here they come, Harriet and Slim from the SE across the Publix pond,flying along  the west pasteur tree line straight for the poles.
Well OK then. No stopping to say Hi this morning. The lone Eagle showed up on the cell tower today.
So we sit there talking and waiting to see if they come back. One of the gals goes and checks the poles to see if they are still there which they are. Not to long after she got back we See them flying in the west heading over towards Publix. Both Harriet and Slim are flying together circling each other then close together again , circling, one above the other, then next to each other. Up higher they go until I can't see them any more. I sit and wait to see if they come back down from the clouds and sure enough they do. Flying next to each other then a part and across the road they come and thru the nest area way north and up in the clouds again. I think we all just watched the courting flights. No locking talons and cartwheeling  downward but just flying together. A couple of times it looked like they might grab talons but it didn't happen. Wow. I sit there going back thru my mind and now I realize I have seen this so many times before with Ozzie and Harriet , then PB and Harriet and now I see it for what it is ... Not just flying together but a part of their courtship. I'm just blown away. To see this and have it finally hit home  to what I was witnessing .  I wish I had a good video camera so I could show you what we saw.
Donna then tells me about her visit last night to the nest. Harriet was vocalizing trying to let Slim know that she was hum ready,interested and Slim just vocalizing back and not really getting the hint. Donna was waiting for Harriet to side kick Slim like she did with Ozzie and M15 but she didn't. Slim takes off and Harriet follows right behind him to the tree by Publix.
I have to say this is such at great learning experience for all of us. To see what we saw with Ozzie and Harriet start to come about with M15 and now Slim that M15 still has not been seen since the 23 of Sept.
For Harriet her clock is ticking and she is in the mating mood and her instincts are driving her every move with Slim. How fast he catches on ,only time will tell and I hope it's soon. We know with Ozzie and Harriet's history  that her most fertile time is in November . Will this change with a new mate or does it stay the same I don't know. I have tried looking for any information on this and can't find anything. FWC stated that Eagles in FL could lay eggs as early as Oct ,so I just don't know.
So in the meantime I sit and watch and wait right along with the rest of you and see how this plays out. The photo's are not the best. But Bob did give me some helpful advice on what to do next time I take photo's of any bird up in the sky like today.

Harriet up above ,Slim lower to the left.