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Nest of Kin
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Eagles are part of my soul,
Ojai resident Judy Spaar-Hillewaert told Ojai Magazine, as she watched and photographed a pair of bald eagles nesting near Lake Casitas.
photos by JUDY SPAAR-HILLEWAERT
Story by PERRY VAN HOUTEN
From her observation post on Santa Ana Road, Spaar-Hillewaert documented Hannah and Mr. Majestic, their chicks whom she named Big and Lil, and the drama that unfolded in the spring of 2022. From the building of the nest to hatching and fl edging, we present the story here in pictures.
JUDY SPAAR-HILLEWAERT
Photo: Dan Dolinh
Hannah stares intensely and screams at an approaching osprey, which “diving full speed ahead just missed Hannah on her perch. Both eagles belted defense vocals,” SpaarHillewaert wrote. Hannah is the third female to nest with Mr. Majestic. She arrived in April of 2020 when she was 4 years old.
Mr. Majestic picks up a hitchhiker while making a fish delivery to the nest. The hitchhiker is demonstrating a behavior called “mobbing,” where smaller birds harass a larger bird by swooping at or dive-bombing it, to protect themselves or their chicks, according to Spaar-Hillewaert.
With a full moon as a backdrop, Mr. Majestic rests in the nesting tree. This was the 10th nesting season for the eagle fi rst spotted at the lake in fall of 2010, when he was 3 ½ years old. It was Hannah’s second season at the nest. She laid an egg in 2021, but it didn’t hatch, according to Spaar-Hillewaert.
“30 days old!” Spaar-Hillewaert wrote on April 26. A chick watches mom, who is perched on a tree next door. The other eaglet is down low on the right side of the nest. Bald eagles lay two eggs 79% of the time. The eggs take 35 to 38 days to hatch.
Nest building featured many huge branch deliveries by Mr. Majestic. “Watching the pair position this large and cumbersome branch made us laugh more than once as they worked together, tugging, pulling, flapping, and ‘beaking’ each other to get it placed just right,” wrote Spaar-Hillewaert. Nesting season began in November and ramped up in January.
Spaar-Hillewaert said she rarely saw the eagles with their eyes closed for more than a few seconds while preening or scratching. “Majestic had his eyes closed for a long time while preening and zipping up this tail feather,” she wrote.
Spaar-Hillewaert said Big, right bird above, is likely a female, and Lil a male. With a smaller size and shorter wingspan, Lil will grow up just like his dad, with remarkable athleticism, agility, and prowess, she added.
The morning of June 21, 86-day-old Big fl edged (took her first flight from the nest). She returned about an hour later and found a meal waiting for her.
In April, an adult red-tailed hawk gets too close to the nest. With talons out, Spaar- Hillewaert wrote, Mr. Majestic chased after the bird, “causing the raptor to skedaddle right back to its own territory.” To keep human intruders from getting close to the nest and disturbing the eagles, the area was cordoned off using fencing and barriers.
Photos by Judy Spaar-Hillewaert
To see more of Judy’s photos, visit her Lake Casitas Eagles Ojai page on Facebook
Story by Perry Van Houten
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