[MARINE_BIOLOGY_INTERNATIONAL] Baby eagle's first flight thrills onlookers

 

Baby eagle's first flight thrills onlookers

Tuesday, 05 Apr 2011, 10:01 PM EDT

by
Cynthia
Smoot
FOX News

(see link below for video)

TIERRA VERDE - There's high drama going on right now in the skies over Pinellas County. Dozens of baby eagles, at least 43 at last count, are just beginning to try out their wings and make their first flight.

It's a sight even professional nature photographers can wait for hours, days, or months and never see. But Monday morning, I was in the right place at the right time, and so was my FOX 13 photographer, Larry Towe.

We were on Tierra Verde to meet longtime amateur photographer and Eaglewatch volunteer Kathy Finnerty, who says she has been watching and photographing the eagles nesting here for the past three years.

"From the very beginning, when they got together," she explained. "They did their dating. They got married. And now they're raising families."

PHOTOS : Kathy's eagle family gallery

Frame by frame, Finnerty has documented their courtship, nest-building, and finally, the first baby eagle to hatch on Tierra Verde since Audubon Eaglewatch started keeping records.

"She was born on a foggy full moon," Finnerty recalled. "I was there that evening and I could see the silhouette of the parents feeding her and I was just astounded. I was so excited."

Finnerty named her Luna, and since that night of January 17, she has spent just about every free moment across the pond from the nest, snapping her progress frame-by-frame.

It's a spectacle that attracts photographers from all over and a steady stream of admirers. Just about everyone passing by the nest, on foot, in car, or on bike, stop at some time to watch what's going on at the eagle nest.

Tierra Verde resident Christina Noordstar, says she comes everyday, often pushing her 8-month-old son in his stroller. "I call it National Geographic. I would think that some of these photographs and filmings would be like what you see in National Geographic. I've learned more about eagles than ever."

Getting this involved in the life of Tierra Verde's only eagle family comes with its ups and downs. The day before our scheduled interview, Finnerty was shooting photos when Luna suddenly tumbled out of the nest, about two-thirds of the way down the tree.

"It's 'As the Feather Turns' and that's the case with all the nests," Finnerty continued. "But yes, with the drama of her managing to tumble out of the nest yesterday, we're all nail biting, we're all worried."

The young eaglet spent 24 hours clinging to the tree before her Dad convinced her she could make it to the top of a nearby oak tree. That's where she was when we arrived on the scene, precariously perched on a small branch in gusty winds.

As we watched, the male eagle flew low overhead, clutching a fish in his talons, trying to entice her to fly back to the nest. Suddenly, she was airborne! With cameras clicked and recorded, she looped over the pond and seemed to hover over the nest before finally landing.

Everyone watching was cheering and clapping, egging her on and erupting into huge applause when she finally landed.

It's a rare event to witness, even for the Eaglewatch coordinator who keeps tabs on everything eagle in Pinellas and Pasco counties. Barb Walker says this was a first for her. "That was the first time I've ever seen a first flight. ...it was really, really special. I was very lucky."

It also means that someday very soon, all three eagles will take off for cooler climates.

"They'll go off a happy little family and she'll probably come back next year just to see if she can move back in with Mom and Dad," Finnerty said.

That's not likely. But it is almost certain that this eagle pair will return next fall, expand their nest and start on eaglet number two. And you can bet Kathy Finnerty will be there too, watching and clicking away on her Nikon.

"It means the world to me," she added. "It just means the world to me to be able to do it."

See video of eaglet's first flight:

http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/dpp/news/local/pinellas/baby-eagle-first-flight-040511?obref=obinsite

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