I went back to the Baldy's nest at Smith Rock today to see how things were going. The three eaglets are all looking healthy. Each of the gray-brown fuzzies stretched its wings at various times, as this one is doing in the shot above. I'm sure they're all feeling a bit stir crazy in the cramped, stinky nest, but it's going to be a while before those wings are ready for flight.

Tags:   bald eagles eagle nest eaglets nest nestlings smith rock wings cental oregon Terrebonne

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A bald eagle calls for its mate to come back to the nest, which was just below this perch and had three fuzzy nestlings within. Shortly thereafter, the mate indeed arrived.

Tags:   eaglets smith rock nest bald eagle bird call bird talons wildlife central Oregon terrebonne

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It's an exhausting climb, but reaching the summit is oh so sweet.

I needed a flag for the top (great suggestion by my wife), so I printed one out at tiny size, cut it with scissors, and stuck it to a straightened-out staple for the flagpole.

Tags:   1/87 scale HO scale backpacking breakfast roll macro miniatures Sparrow Bakery ocean roll Living Large series whimsical american flag summiting butte mountain

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The three bald eaglets at Smith Rock State Park have grown a little since I last checked them eight days ago. A couple of them stretched their little wings a bit, but I'm guessing it will be some weeks before they attempt to fly. The parents take turns feeding the nestlings a diet of fish plucked from the Crooked River that runs through the park, and marmot, possibly also some rabbit.

Wow, my brother just noticed that that red thing at the adult eagle's feet might be a transformer-type plastic toy! Zoom in and judge for yourself. Looks to me like it is - or a super cheap facsimile thereof anyway! Here I thought it was some bloody innards from a kill. How thoughtful of the parents to bring their kids a toy to play with. Although kids these days would really prefer iPhones, amirite!?

UPDATE! Well, I can say with confidence that the red mass at the feet of the adult is NOT a plastic toy. Close inspection of subsequent images in the series show that its shape changed as it was presumably stepped on or pushed around, "transforming" into just an amorphous mass of red meat.

The kids were said to have chirped a collective "Dang."

Tags:   bald eagles birds chicks smith rock feeding eagle nest nestlings nurturing terrebonne Central Oregon eaglets wildlife

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A new scene in my Living Large series.

Tags:   Living Large macro miniatures photographers sushi whimsical sushi chefs unveiling

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