This Fourth of July Let's Celebrate Smith Rock’S Bald Eagles 2023 Nesting Season
July 4, 2023
2023 has been a banner year for the Bald Eagle family at Smith Rock State Park. Mom and Dad Bald are now empty-nesters, with the two surviving eaglets now spreading their wings around the neighborhood. While we all mourn the loss of one of the three that were born this year, we recognize that it’s part of nature, along with the ongoing challenges of “eat or be eaten” in the animal kingdom.
On January 9, 2023, courtship began, and nesting raptor protections went into effect for both the Bald and Golden Eagles.
On March 9, the first of 3 Bald Eaglets hatched.
On April 27 or 28, one of the Eaglets died.
On June 12, the first of the two remaining Eaglets fledged.
On June 22, the remaining Eaglet fledged.
Here’s a monthly photo capsule of the season, in amazing detail, captured by a group of four talented and dedicated photographers that let us share their images with you. Thanks so much, Charlie Baughman, Sheryl French, Matt Oliphant, and Rebecca Taylor!
(Best seen on a big monitor. Click on any of the smaller images to enlarge them, then on the “x” in the top right corner to close the window.)
FEBRUARY 2023
February 16, 2023, Matt Oliphant Photography:
“Always love these moments when I catch them in the act chatting up a storm like this. So primal and epic.”
February 26, 2023, Matt Oliphant Photography:
“And now we wait.”
March 2023
March 2 2023, Photographer Charlie Baughman:
”Bald Eagle at Smith Rock flying up to the nest with long grasses it snagged out of the river, on the fly without stopping.”
March 9, 2023, Matt Oliphant Photography:
“The mama eagle continues to incubate while the male watches guard. You can tell by the look and intense focus of the male that he is honing in on something. Always so fun watching these two.”
March 16, 2023, Matt Oliphant Photography:
“The incubation continues for the mama eagle. Truly amazing how dedicated and determined she is and will for the most part stay dialed in the nest for a solid ~35 days. At this stage, she has been actively incubating for a good 3 weeks.”
March 22, 2023, Photographer Sheryl French:
”One eaglet so far. It hatched sometime yesterday. You can see the gray fluff ball to the right of the parent’s tail.”
March 26, 2023, Photographer Charlie Baughman:
”Bald Eagle carrying grass to the nest at Smith Rock State Park.”
March 26, 2023, Photographer Charlie Baughman:
”What a nice day Sunday was. I saw 2 chicks in the nest and I heard recently that there are now 3 chicks. The larger chick was pecking on a much smaller chick that I hope can grow up enough to fight back. The chicks are about 5 days old. One of the adults did a nice spiral dive down to the nest and then traded places with the other adult. The sitter became a flyer and vice versa. They are good parents.”
March 26, 2023, Matt Oliphant Photography:
Two little baby eaglets made their first appearance in the high desert (if you look closely you can see two small fuzzy gray heads!) This was the adult male doing a little nesting duty with the babies while the female took flight to stretch her wings!
March 26, 2023, Photographer Rebecca Taylor:
”It looks like our Bald Eagles are proud parents of 3 new eaglets!”
March 27, 2023, Photographer Charlie Baughman:
”Yesterday at the Bald Eagle nest one adult flew down in a spiral dive and landed in the tree. The other parent was cuddling up to the 2 chicks. One of the 5 day old chicks is smaller and has been beaten up by the larger one. I will check on it in a couple days to see if it makes it. The parents exchanged places and the sitter became the flyer.”
March 29, 2023, Photographer Charlie Baughman:
”Today at the Bald Eagle nest I was able to see all 3 chicks being fed. They are about a week old. The parents exchange places on a regular basis by tending the nest or flying away.”
March 30, 2023, Matt Oliphant Photography:
”My last high desert eagle post mentioned about two baby eaglets! Well during my last visit to check on them and see how they are doing. There are now 3 eaglets!! This particular scene was captured yesterday evening! The mama eagle is hard at work tending to these 3 voracious eaters! The second image was the female calling to her mate that’s it’s time for dinner for these little guys!”
April 2023
April 6, 2023, Photographer Charlie Baughman:
”A sunny day at the Bald Eagle nest on Wed 4/6 was very active. After visiting the nest with all 5 birds, the male launched.”
April 9, 2023, Photographer Sheryl French:
”Bringing home dinner.”
April 9, 2023, Matt Oliphant Photography:
”These little guys continue to grow at an exceptional rate! It’s quite mind-boggling to think that by June these guys will be as big as their parents.”
April 10, 2023, Photographer Sheryl French:
”You can see the eaglets are starting to get big feet.”
April 17, 2023, Matt Oliphant Photography:
”These guys are growing way too fast! The adult eagles have their beaks and talons full keeping the little ones satisfied!! I’m always amazed at the incredible growth development/pace eaglets take on over the course of 3ish months.”
April 19, 2023, Photographer Charlie Baughman:
”3 Chicks have a discussion at 4 weeks old as mom looks on. One parent launches.”
April 20, 2023, Photographer Sheryl French:
”Testing of the wings.”
April 21, 2023, Photographer Rebecca Taylor:
”Portrait of father (I think) & son (31 days old.)”
April 24, 2023, Photographer Rebecca Taylor:
”The family has something to say when a parent brings back nesting material instead of dinner.”
April 27, 2023, Photographer Sheryl French:
”You can see how their feathers are turning black.”
April 28, 2023, Matt Oliphant Photography:
”Man oh man are these guys GROWING UP!! They are beginning to look more and more like their parents with each passing day. It’s hard to imagine that in less than a few months they will be the same size as their parents and will effectively be on their own later this summer!!
April 29, 2023, Photographer Sheryl French:
”I am so sad one of the Smith Rock, Eaglets died either yesterday or this morning. You can see it at the back of nest resting its head on the branch to the left. The father moved it from the front/middle of the nest to the back and the mother brought in the tuft of grass that is in front of it. One the sibling eaglets laid by it a lot today. These pictures were taken at the time of day when the light is harsh on the nest. The 2nd photo has one of the siblings laying by the deceased sibling. The 3rd photo has the other sibling looking at it.”
April 29, 2023, Photographer Sheryl French:
”This is after one parent moved the deceased eaglet to the edge of the nest. The other parent came in with that tuft of grass. You can see as one of the parents flies off one of the eaglet siblings continues to lay by the deceased eaglet. Sorry for the harsh lighting on the nest. The mother is the larger of the two parents.”
April 29, 2023, Photographer Sheryl French:
”Also after the parent moved the deceased eaglet. You can see the deceased eaglet in between the parent and other dark eaglet. The parent stayed at the edge for quite awhile along with the dark eaglet until the other parent came in the tuft of grass.”
April 29, 2023, Photographer Charlie Baughman:
”One of the chicks died but there are still 2 left. Mom dives from the nest and snags a bird from the river. The bird had a green band #254.”
MAY 2023
May 1, 2023, Photographer Rebecca Taylor:
”It has been so interesting watching two eaglets which are 3 or 4 days apart on the same nest. It's not totally evident in this photo but the one on the left is just starting to turn from the gray wooly down to the brown & black feathers more evident on the sibling. When they are laying down (which they do a lot of) you really notice the gray vs. very dark brown color difference.”
May 3, 2023, Photographer Charlie Baughman:
“This Bald Eagle made several circles over a group of Geese and 5 goslings hoping for an opportunity to catch one of them before they dove or hid behind an adult. The adults appeared ferocious and the eagle finally gave up and flew back to the nest. The 2 eaglets in the nest are now 6 weeks old.”
May 10, 2023, Photographer Sheryl French:
”I am out of here kids.”
May 11, 2023, Photographer Sheryl French:
”Growing up.”
May 17, 2023, Photographer Sheryl French:
”Sassy.”
May 18, 2023, Photographer Charlie Baughman:
“Eagles and other birds like to fly in a little low and carry extra speed when gliding toward a landing spot. At some point near the spot they increase their approach angle and glide upward toward the spot. The closer they get the higher the angle of attack used until they have no speed left and they touch down for a perfect landing. At high angles of attack the feathers lift up in the low pressure area on the top surface and sometimes there is a flow reversal on the leading edge.”
May 22, 2023, Matt Oliphant Photography:
”These eagles aren’t little anymore In this first scene you see here the adult male had brought in fish for the kiddos to devour for dinner. In the next two images you can see the two stretching and working their flying muscles in prep for the big day.”
JUNE 2023
June 5, 2023, Matt Oliphant Photography:
The eagle action continues to unravel in the high desert These young eagles are inside a month from fledging Man what a journey it’s been to see these amazing and graceful creatures mature and evolve More updates to come. Stay tuned!! Hopefully, you can opt outside this week.
June 7, 2023, Photographer Sheryl French:
”They are starting to lift off the ground a little when they flap their wings.”
June 10, 2023, Photographer Sheryl French:
”The parent looks so small compared to the Eaglet.”
June 16, 2023, Photographer Sheryl French:
”I did not have any luck spotting the Eaglet that fledged yesterday. This one is dancing alone on the nest now.”
June 15, 2023, Matt Oliphant Photography:
A moment I’ll never forget! Watching these raptors grow into these magnificent beasts has been so special and one of a kind To update y’all, the one you see here soaring with such grace and a commanding presence was the first one to fledge, which I believe took place over this past weekend. As you navigate through my images, you’ll see the other youngster still hanging in the nest. He should take flight any day. Enjoy these moments captured in time.”
June 16, 2023, Photographer Sheryl French:
“I did not have any luck spotting the Bald Eaglet that fledged. This Eaglet is working up its nerve to jump. It might be like jumping off the high diving board at the pool when you were a kid.”
June 22 2023, Photographer Charlie Baughman: Remaining Bald Eagle Finally Fledges
"For the past week the remaining Bald Eagle juvenile has been fed very well and has had one parent looking after it. The other parent and the first fledge had been gone all week. Wed morning things looked different. No eagles were in the area. Later on I discovered the juvenile was behind the tree trunk and being very quiet. It finally started moving around, searching up, down and around the tree. It appeared nervous and impatient. Eventually, it worked its way out on a limb and flew away. The small group of eagle watchers burst into cheers as the bird flew off and away like a veteran. The new fledge landed on the rock corner to the west and rested for a few minutes. On the next flight it flew to the west with a falcon escort and went out of the canyon. Sometimes the fledges will come back to the nest, but sometimes they don't.”
June 27, 2023, Matt Oliphant Photography:
“This young male juvenile who recently fledged the nest is learning quite quickly that being on its own is no walk in the park. Truly a scene to watch unfold as this Cooper’s Hawk chased after this youngster for a bit. I hope you enjoy this collection of moments showcasing these powerful raptors in the heat of the action”
June 27, 2023, Photographer Charlie Baughman: Cooper’s Hawk Attacks Bald Eagle Pair
"First thing in the morning I was able to get a nice comparison portrait of the Bald Eagle pair. The larger female on the left had some prey in her talon that I did not see until later. I could see the birds were disturbed by something in the tree to the left. A Cooper's hawk started making strafing passes at the Eagles. After diving at and circling the eagles a couple of times, it would land in a tree and then resume the attacks after a brief rest. The male eagle was the first to leave with the hawk right on his tail. The female eagle continued to eat and finish the food. She then flew off with the hawk hot on her tail too.”
June 30, 2023, Photographer Charlie Baughman: Bald Eagle Nesting Territory
"A young 2022 Bald Eagle flew into the nesting territory of a bald eagle pair. One of the local adults flew out of the tree and circled around the tree to gain altitude to use as an attack advantage on the invader. At close range, both birds had their talons out ready for a fight. there was no contact and the youngster left the area. Later on, the youngster did come back again and again.”
July 1-4, 2023, Photographer Charlie Baughman: Bald Eagle Fledge II
"The first Bald Eaglet to fledge (Fledge I) from the nest went off like expected. The second eaglet (Fledge II) wanted to stay in the nest for another week. Even after fledging it would fly back to the nest and enjoy the security and food at the nest. It was being fed at least every morning. Finally, the adults left the nest and ended the feedings. A young second-year Bald Eagle was very interested in the nest area. It flew to the perches and to the nest. Fledge II drove the young eagle from the nest several times but the young eagle would continue to land in the tree nest or branches. In 3 of the pictures, you can see that it is carrying a branch. It may be thinking of improving the nest and moving in. On some of these short flights, the local Cooper's Hawk would chase behind the eagle. After a couple of days with no adults around and no feedings, Fledge II flew off.”