Majesty

We've regularly been walking around Gray's Lake this winter.  It's great exercise and a good way to tire out the dog.

A couple weeks ago we noticed an eagle there nearly every time we walked.  Then, Michael and Melissa spotted what they thought was a nest.  The next day, Melissa and I walked there and thought we could see the white head of a bald eagle sticking up from the top of the nest.

 Soon after a sign was erected noting the nest and warning people not to disturb them.

The lake trail runs along the bank of the Racoon River.  The nest is completely across the river in a stand of trees on the opposite bank.

Today on our walk we spied this eagle perched in a tree near its nest.  The males and females take turns sitting on the eggs, so we don't know if this was the male or the female.

This photo, though still zoomed in, gives a better idea of how far away we actually were standing.

And here is the other eagle sitting in the nest.  You can see it's white head sticking up above.  These nests are enormous and can weigh as much as two tons.

I can't begin to describe how awe-inspiring this is to see. We look forward to watching the eagles throughout their nesting season - and I hope they have a successful hatching.

It's also pretty amazing that Melissa was able to get pictures of this quality with her small digital camera on zoom - no special lenses or anything!