Staying close to the nest

We visited our favorite eagles nest a couple of times last week but haven't seen both babies at the same time the way we did the week before. Here's hoping that the nest is so spacious and deep that we can only see one baby at a time.

Watching the nest from above.

Mama and papa are spending more time away from the nest but close by. As the youngsters get their "real" feathers, they need more space to practice their wings. In another week or so, we should start seeing the babies "branching," where they leap from branch to branch, trying out wings, and pouncing on invisible prey. I photographed last year's youngster while branching last July.