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Welcome to Brazos Bend State Park. That's me on the trail at Fiorenza Park watching an Eagle 6/3/2023. I was just a child when the number of Eagle nests in the U.S. was only 417...in the lower 48 states. 
I never expected to see Bald Eagles at all where I live and play, but here they are!  I'm sharing many of my pictures and videos of Eagles here on my Eagle Pages.  

03/26/2024  When I took the off-ramp to get to Fiorenza park, I saw an Eagle on top of the power line tower.  I parked on the South side of the park, and
 started the 20-minute walk to get near the tower.  When I got to a place where I could see the top of the tower, the Eagle was gone. I scanned the sky and found an Eagle
 flying above me. As I was trying to take a few pictures, the Eagle folded its wings and dived and and got a few blurry images before I lost it. I hurried to where I could look
across and see where I thought it had gone down, but I was much too late. An Eagle was flying away in the distance, headed North. It seemed to be carrying something.
   

I continued to the tower anyway, hoping it might come back. I was on the last straight, with the tower in full view when I saw another large bird flying towards me from the
 South. It was a young Bald Eagle!  I took pictures as it flew in, but as it flew past I couldn't focus against the green behind it. I saw it land on other side of the small island
 directly in front of me--but I could barely see it between the trunks of the small trees.). 
   

I saw it land on other side of the small island directly in front of me--but I could barely see it between the trunks of the small trees. To see the other side of the island, I
hurried around the South bend. This took me right under the "Eagle tower" and next to the busy Westpark Tollway--about 5 minutes' more walking. When I could see the
West side of the island (by the way the South corner of the island was covered with American White Pelicans, Pelecanus erythrorhynchos). I looked through the binoculars.
   

I found the young Eagle! It was standing on the flat open ground--right next to an adult Bald Eagle that was eating something.  After eating its fill (I suppose) the adult
walked to the water, and seemed to wash its face, and picked at a few items in the water. The young Eagle walked over and picked at some scraps left by the adult..
   

Compared to the stride of the adult, the young Eagle hopped and seemed  to be favoring one foot. I watched them until the juvenile, and then the adult, flew off; or about
 12 minutes from the time I could see them clearly.  Almost all the images are from photos this time. I caught the juvenile's takeoff that way.
   

I shot video of the adult taking off. You'll see that some pictures show where I was, relative to where the Eagles were. Video edited from these events can be seen here.
 It was a beautiful morning!
   

03/23/2024  At Fiorenza Park North, I saw an Eagle on the tower (as shown in this picture from 2023) but it was gone when I got to this point on the trail.
I'd just missed it, but it might have gone hunting. Sometimes an Eagle leaves, but returns to the tower with food, so I looked for the Eagle. I found it! It was carrying
 something, but was pretty far away. I took pictures anyway. The Eagle flew across from Left to Right. it passed behind the big hill, and I found it again on the other side. 
   

Using Google maps, I estimate the Eagle was at least 500 yards away. I finally shot some video as the Eagle moved off.  I've cropped the images and video to enlarge the
 Eagle. While watching, I'd assumed the Eagle had caught a fish (as I've seen them do here before). 
   

But the video and photos showed I was wrong. The Eagle was carrying a bird!  The prey was much smaller than the Eagle, and though it had dark plumage, I don't
think it was a Vulture. Perhaps it had caught a gallinule or coot--though bright orange on the head might indicate it had caught a Common Gallinule, Gallinula galeata.
   

The third and fourth images above, and the two images below, are frames from the video. Apparently the camera thought the tree was more interesting, so focused on that,
 instead, blurring the Eagle. The Eagle's flight is in this film edited from the short clip that I captured.
  

01/21/2024 It was cold again at BBSP.  When I checked the temperature at the Forty Acre Parking Lot, it was 39.2°F, almost the same as the previous
weekend. But the air on this day was very damp. This damp air, when moving, can draw the heat right out of me. It's always colder down near the Observation Tower, mostly
because of the wind blowing off of Pilant Lake. The morning was overcast, and the air was hazy--which is further indication of hold cold it would feel.  Within a few minutes
I caught a glimpse of what looked like an Eagle over 40Acre Lake, so I watched it circle West, then moved over Pilant Lake before moving West.  I'm pretty sure it was a
juvenile Bald Eagle!  The two images below are just different cropped versions of the same photograph.
   

5 minutes later, I remembered to examine the top of the tallest tree on the far Northwest treeline. I've seen a Bald Eagle out there several times over the past weeks. The
Eagle was out there this morning! The 3 images below show how far away it was. Another temperature reading from that area showed 39.3°F. But this time there was the
wind off of Pilant Lake.
   

On 01/14/2024 I went to BBSP. I almost didn't because of forecasted rain and a cold front. But, I decided to go anyway, spend a couple hours outside,
then work in the Nature Center.  When I checked the temperature at the Forty Acre Parking Lot, it was 40°F.  It's always colder down near the Observation Tower, mostly
because of the wind blowing off of Pilant Lake.
 

As I had reached the West end of 40 Acre Lake I had a quick sighting of a Bald Eagle flying to the East, going South over the 40acre lake.  While I was watching the Ibises
foraging, they all took off. So I looked around and above to see if something had spooked them. I saw a Bald Eagle flying high above, heading North over Pilant Lake. It
might have been too high to scare the Ibises, but the birds never tell me what's going on.  I went back to the West side of the Tower, to have a better view across both
lakes (Pilant and 40Acre). It was already about 9:00, and I would have to leave the area by 10 to make it back to the Nature Center in time...and, I was getting cold, anyway.
About 10 minutes later I was talking with another Volunteer and a park visitor (who also happened to be employed by TPWD in another department/region) when I saw
another Eagle flying low over the 40Acre islands from the West. 
   

 It circled right over us, and I watched it for about 10 minutes until I lost it in the Sun. It was wonderful to see the Eagle leisurely soaring in circles out of sight. Although
the images seem the same, they are a few seconds apart. I was happy to catch the Eagle in flight.
   

While we were excitedly discussing the Eagle, two park visitors walked up. I've often seen them on the trails, though they are usually on bicycles. Too cold for that
(and the trails were soft from the recent rain)! First thing they asked was if we'd seen the Eagle. It turns out that they had seen the Eagle perched in a tree on one of the
islands, and got to watch it take off and fly towards us.  Then, it was time for me to go in.   Not a bad day for about 3 hours on the trail!
 

12/14/2023 -  It's Eagle Season! More Eagles visit this area through Fall and Winter. I saw an Eagle at BBSP on 10/29/2023 flying high over 40 Acre Lake,
and later over Pilant Lake. At Fiorenza park on 11/11/2023 one flew over me, then appeared on the usual perch on the electrical tower. I did get some images, but  
only from far away.  Then I saw Eagles on 12/07/2023, 12/09/2023, and 12/10/2023!  So I had to say something about it.    
    From the Warner Bros. short, "Rabbit Fire"  (clip with sound)
On, 12/07/2023 I was at Scobee Field, which is set up for flying model airplanes.  I was in one of the open public spaces, throwing boomerangs. I've been going there
because there's so much open space for the boomerangs to fly(11/15/2023). When I walked back towards my car I noticed two large birds across the field. Vultures
 frequently fly over and around Scobee Field. But the two birds I noticed were Eagles! Two landed in a tree way outWest, but one had flown off before I get cross the
road and get to the fence. Shooting photos from so far away through the hot air near the ground was difficult but I tried because I'd never expected to see
Bald Eagles there. The electrical tower at Fiorenza Park where I've often seen Eagles is almost 4 miles East of where I saw the Eagles today. When the Eagle took
off, I captured some video, and put that into the video linked here. The two images of the eagle are frames from the video.
   

On, 12/09/2023 I saw an Eagle on the Eagles' favorite electrical tower at Fiorenza Park. I parked and took the 20-minute walk to get near the tower.  Since it was cloudy, I
was able to get West of the Eagle and see it without being blinded by the morning sun. So I got pictures from the side opposite than I usually do.  I like the way some of
the images turned out,  especially when the sun broke through and lit up the Eagle just a little bit.  I was dismissed when the Eagle flew off to the West.
   

   

On, 12/10/2023 I was at Brazos Bend State Park and walking back to the 40 Acre Lake parking lot. I was walking South on the East Loop of the trail when I saw a bird
flying over 40 Acre Lake. It was pretty high, and I didn't think it was one of the many Vultures that were taking off as the air got warmer. I'm pretty sure it was an Eagle,
but since it didn't have a white head and tail, I have slight doubts. I'm guessing it was a juvenile Eagle. 
   

Just a few minutes later, I was on the South loop of the 40 Acre Lake trail, in the backround area shown in the first picture above.  I saw an adult Bald Eagle flying far
above, and it went North, towards Pilant Lake. I looked down at the trees, and then back up and saw another adult Eagle above me, much closer than the other adult that
had just gone to Pilant Lake. 
   

It circled right over me, and then I lost it against the Sun. I had to hurry away to do a shift at the Nature Center.
   

On 07/01/2023 I was back at Fiorenza park. The Eagle was on the high-tension tower. Since this is July, I thouht it worth noting that this eagle (and
possibly an entire family of them) had not left Texas for the summer. I didn't stay for hours this time...because the Eagle flew off. 
   

While watching the Eagle thorugh the camera and changing modes, I try to see what the Eagle is doing. If it appears to be watching something, I'll turn to scan the area to
try to pick up what the Eagle is looking at. If the camera is on a tripod (I'm using one these days), I might leave video recording in case I miss something. In first two images
below show the Eagle turning, then stretching its neck to look at something. It took off while I looked for the object of its scrutiny-so I didn't see it take off. I tried to catch
 images and video as the Eagle circled around, but didn't do well. (Some day I'll get the hang of quick-focus against the sky.) I did get one of the Eagle flying off, though.
   

After the Eagle flew off, I'd picked up the tripod, turned around and started walking back, when I noticed something in tree just beyond the bend of the trail. This was just
5 minutes after the Eagle had gone.  I looked "raptorish", and when I glassed it with binoculars, I saw it was an Osprey!  I took a few quick shots, then walked under the
tree at the bend to get a few more before the Osprey took off.
   

So...two Sea Eagles in one day...within minutes of each other! Why "sea eagles"?  Bald Eagles are aka Haliaeetus leucocephalus (sea eagle with a white head) while
Ospreys are aka Pandion haliaetus (Pandion's sea eagle). Don't ask me about the extra (or missing) "e".  I'm lucky enough to see an Osprey somewhere in
Fiorenza Park most times I visit. 
  

On 06/07/2023 I was back at Fiorenza park. The Eagle was on the high-tension tower and I spent 2 more hours near it. This may seem like a long span
to wait  for something  to happen, but I didn't really notice the passage of time.  Any time the Eagle moved, I either shot a burst of photos, or a short video clip. This time I
 didn't shoot any "establishing" images to show the surroundings, since I'd just done that  4 days before.  More shots of the Eagle below. 
   

This time, the Eagle spread its wings in a sunbathing posture. I've seen other birds do this--especially large ones, such as Herons. I've read that this odd position can
allow the  underside of the wings to dry and/or allow the bird to remove parasites.
   

The other images just show the Eagle turning its head at various angles, contrasted against the sky; and apparently looking down on me again.  Beautiful!
   

On 06/03/2023 I went to Fiorenza park. When I saw an Eagle on the high-tension tower near the ramp, I parked on that side of the park and went over
to watch it. I spent 2 hours near the Eagle. It sounds like a long span to wait for something to happen, but I didn't really notice the passage of time.  Any time the Eagle
moved, I either shot a burst of photos, or a short video clip. As the morning passed, the changed position of the Sun allowed for some variety.  The images below show
how I could spot the Eagle from the slope of the ramp. The last one shows the tower from the spot on the trail where I stand when I shoot images.
   

Those who visit here often, may question my repeated sharing of pictures showing the tower; but each day is a new adventure, and sometimes I like to share the 
experience along with the images. The second and third picture below look the same, but inspect the eye. I think that I captured the Eagle blinking with its third eyelid; 
or nictitating membrane. No matter how much I admire Bald Eagles, this one just looked down on me.
   

The other images just show the Eagle in the morning sun, contrasted against the sky.  Beautiful!
   

05/16/2023  An Eagle was on the favored spot on top of the high-tension tower at Fiorenza Park. I waited to see if I could catch some action shots.  
The Eagle looked out across the water. From that height, it could watch over everything.    I figured that almost everything that the Eagle saw swimming under the water,
floating in it, or even flying above the surface--was potential prey for the Eagle.  I thought that the Eagle was an imposing figure-an apex predator atop the tower; looking
down upon  its domain.
   

And then, this happened.  At first, the Eagle seemed a bit perplexed.  The Eagle tried to go back to looking majestic. But, the visitor-a Northern Mockingbird 
(Mimus polyglottos)-wasn't going to allow that.  The distance between me and the birds, along with the noise from the passing traffic, made recording of the birds' voices
 impossible for me.  There is video that goes with all these images, at this link.
   

I've noticed that although a Mockingbird will dive and swoop aggressively, turning and facing it will usually cause it to back off.  We can see this when the Eagle turned to
 face the smaller bird.  I couldn't believe that the Mockinbird was so persistent with the Eagle.  I didn't think that it had a nest near the Eagle's perch.  For whatever reason,
the Mockingbird decided to fly all the way up there to harass the Eagle.
   

During the hour that I watched the Eagle, the Mockingbird left the top of the tower occasionally, but would return after about 15 minutes.  The shadows on the Eagle show
that the Mockingbird was approaching from the the direction of the Sun.  But, the Eagle was also facing the other way, so the Mockingbird might have not have been using
 the Sun, but just attacking from behind the Eagle.   The Eagle's gape display is interesting.   The Mockingbird wasn't intimidated by it very much.  I couldn't tell if the Eagle
 was calling. 
    

 I've put almost all of the interaction between the two birds together into this video because I enjoyed watching it happen. The Mockingbird appeared to be fighting the
wind when it approached the Eagle.   While filming, I could occasionally hear the Mockingbird's "warning" call, but it wasn't captured well in the video. While I admire the
audacity of the Mockingbird, I don't  know what it had at stake. Aside from flying away from the minor annoyance, the powerful Eagle really couldn't  do anything to deal
with the Mockingbird, unless it managed to snatch it with its beak--which was unlikely.  It wasn't trying to do that.  With the apparent wind blowing up there, if the Eagle
tried its own threat display (with open wings) it might have gotten blown off the tower.  I had to leave before there was any resolution to this situation (if one was possible).
I know this spot popular with the Eagles; especially over the last few weeks (many examples on this page). I've never noticed any conflict with a Mockingbird there before.  

 

 

I tried to use the phone that is part of my camera, and after that the FLIR stopped working. I probably just needed to restart the camera, but that morning 
too much was going on.  For one thing, while I was holding my phone in one hand, and the FLIR in the other, a Bald Eagle flew right over me. It landed tree off 
yonder in West Pilant Lake. The four pictures below show where it landed. In the first picture, it's that brown dot with a white dot on top in the center.
    

 

If you'd like to know more about the park follow these links:

Brazos Bend State Park   The main page.

Brazos Bend State Park Volunteer's Page  The volunteer's main page.
 

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