the stare

lonely tree

It was a lonely night at the nest tree as the moon glowed in the sky without an eagle in sight.

And then there were two

Hiram and Julia now have two eggs!

(photo courtesy of Shiloh - National Park Service)

Hiram and Julia have an egg!

I am so excited to share this official press release from Shiloh National Park!

Hiram and Julia Are Pleased to Announce the Start of the Nesting Season at Shiloh Battlefield

“Shiloh’s most famous wildlife residents have laid their first egg to begin another nesting season,” Superintendent Woody Harrell announced today. “A camera system was installed February 3rd in order to monitor the progress of Shiloh Battlefield’s nesting pair of bald eagles. On the morning of Tuesday, February 8th, it confirmed that Hiram and Julia (Shiloh’s eagle pair, who is named after General Ulysses Grant and his wife) have an egg in the nest,” Harrell said. The eagle pair made Shiloh their home in the fall of 2007, and has since successfully raised four eaglets in their residence at the park. However, not all nesting seasons have been successful for the eagles. On May 8th, 2010, Hiram and Julia’s two young eaglets, only six weeks old, were found dead at the base of their nest tree. The cause of their death was undetermined. Despite this tragedy, the eagle pair was back at their nest doing repairs as early as September, and has now officially begun their fourth consecutive nesting season.

“The bald eagles have one egg in the nest, but it will most likely not be the only one laid, “Harrell added. “In their three previous nesting seasons, Hiram and Julia have always hatched two eaglets, and this year we are anticipating two as well.” Live feed from the eagle camera is not accessible to the public at the present time. It is tentatively scheduled to be available to the viewing public in the Shiloh Battlefield Visitor Center by the end of the week.

image courtesy of Shiloh National Park (eagle cam)

a new beginning

Winter has made a mark already by leaving our area blanketed in the largest snowfall in years. While that might not be an event in other areas, a large snow is a big event around here. However, being largely house-bound for that period of time can create a lot anxiousness. I needed some time out!
After hearing some encouraging reports from Shiloh, I decided to take an opportunity to get outside and visit one of my absolute favorite locations...the nest tree! Although I didn't get to see the eagles, I was encouraged by a visit with another photographer who had seen them earlier and was able to see first-hand some of the new work done on the nest.

The nest tree stands tall with the snow still along the treeline in the distance.

The field is beautiful...waiting on eagle wings to fly again!