During the end of February and early March, there’s people still ice fishing and snowmobiling (when trails have snow). I wonder how many of those people see Eagles battling high above. This mile high performance might look as if two Eagles were fighting, but it’s actually a mating ritual. These aerial displays are to reinforce the male and female’s bond and is called SKY DANCING.

During the courtship flight the future parents will lock talons and entwine their necks as they are spiraling towards the ground before gliding back up. After bonding in this mating ritual, (pairs remain together for life) these majestic birds usually return to the same nest year after year. To remodel for the new season, they will add sticks, twigs and add grass/moss to soften the lining. But if the old nest is damaged beyond repair, both will build a new nest that can be 5 to 6 feet in diameter with 2-to-4-foot sides and weigh well over 1 thousand pounds in the same area.

After mating, (March into April in northern zone) mom will lay 1 to 3 eggs called clutches, that can take 2 to 4 days. Once all the eggs are produced, the parents will take turns sitting on them, but the female is the primary incubator. This incubation period could take up to 36 days but will not start until the last egg is laid. At this time, the parents will remove breast feathers to keep the eggs warm, as the delicate eggs must be kept at 105 degrees. The eggs also must be turned every hour or two, so the embryos won’t stick to the shell.

During the chick’s development, they form what is called an egg tooth. Using this tooth that grew on the tip of their bills, they poke a hole through the membrane and take their first breath from an air bubble inside the egg. That small amount of air will give them enough energy to break though the shell. Without mom and dad’s assistance, the chicks continue to enlarge the hole. This hatching process can take 2 to 3 days until they can remove themselves from the shell.

Weighing around 3 ounces and covered with first soft light gray downy feathers, the little ones are welcomed into their new world. In just over a week, their first downy feathers are replaced with the second darker downy feathers. Then the eaglets are offered tiny pieces of fish that is held below their chin in a crop (storage area) and is digested as needed. By the second week, eaglets can hold their heads up and within 5 weeks can tear pieces of food by themselves.

Within a month their darked feathers will start to appear, and they will start moving around in the nest to strengthen their wings. In 12 weeks, it can be possible for the eaglets to take that first clumsy test flight. Those first few times they won’t fly far. Usually, the young eaglets will fly around and land in the same nesting tree where they were hatched. As the weeks pass, they will gradually start to explore their new area but will stay close to that area for a month or two.

During the winter months, many eagles will migrate to southern Wisconsin. Migration really isn’t about the colder weather. Some adult eagles along with juveniles will migrate south in search of food, and that food source is in open water. That is why so many people can view eagles near the Mississippi and Wisconsin river in the southern part of the state. An eagle reaches sexual maturity at age five and at this time, those young adults will look for a partner for life to fill their own nest with 1 to 3 eggs.

There are sites where you can view nesting eagles live and I guarantee once if you find one, you WILL KEEP GOING BACK AND WATCHING IT.