This Mother’s Day, Tampa Bay’s eagles have much to teach parents

We humans tend to look across on Mother’s Day. Across brunch tables and card aisles, across mimosas and bouquets, across our own complex puzzle of what it means to be a good parent.

This is a reminder to look up. Some of the most exemplary parenting is unfolding in the sky.

Bald eagles. Could they be among the most thoughtful and measured parents in the bird kingdom? Models of gentle care and restraint? A united front most parents only dream of achieving via therapy?

For a dose of wisdom this holiday, visit Honeymoon Island in Dunedin. Trek three-quarters of a mile from the north beach along the state park’s Osprey Trail toward a set of benches. Gaze skyward into the longleaf pines and spot a hulking nest of nature’s debris.

A new bald eaglet hatched this spring. If you’re lucky, you’ll glimpse the young one before the wild beckons. The tot currently looks larger than the adults due to a spray of long brown feathers that are temporary, a set of training wheels as the eaglet masters the existence of air.

You might see the parents, too, hanging back on a branch or perched in another tree, encouraging their child to figure out the world. Hard as it may be — and every parent knows this — their goal is to grow more functioning eagles.

Florida is home to some 1,500 nesting pairs of bald eagles, per the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. That’s one of the densest concentrations in the lower 48 states. Bald eagles came off the federal endangered species list in 2007, but they still face plenty of foes, from predatory owls to developers destroying habitat to homeowners unleashing rat poison.

Earlier this year, Louise Roy saw her favorite eagle and his two babies die after eating a poisoned squirrel. The Audubon EagleWatch Pinellas coordinator and Raptor Center of Tampa Bay rescuer had been following Major for more than a decade in East Lake Woodlands.

“Mama didn’t eat the squirrel,” said Roy. “She has a new mate who started seeing her after she lost Major. I saw them mate about a month ago, so she’s accepted him. Next year, I’m looking forward to some babies.”

The arrival of eagle babies in a bustling region is always cause for celebration. In 2009, conservationists were thrilled when nesting eagles produced a chick on Honeymoon Island for the first time in decades. Eagles often return to the same nest, Roy said, but it’s difficult to say if the current Honeymoon eaglet hails from the same family.

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This nesting season, she said, Pinellas County has welcomed around 25 eaglets — lower than usual, despite plenty of nesting couples. Last year, trackers counted 43 babies. The drop could have anything to do with cellphone tower changes to teenage eaglets trashing family nests, as teenagers are wont to do.

One thing Roy knows for sure, though: Her beloved eagles make stupendous parents.

“They’re very protective and dominant,” she said. “The mamas love their babies.”

Let’s start with a home tour. When the parents are building a nest, the mom likes to supervise.

“Once it’s built a little, she’ll pitch in,” Roy said. “The male will start it, and the female will decide on where the sticks go.”

The female spends most of the time sitting on her eggs, head peeking out of the nest. The male also incubates, making himself so flat the nest looks empty. In the mornings, Dad gives Mom a break, bringing food or springing her loose to find a snack on her own. Me time.

Once the baby hatches, both take turns feeding. They curl their talons into balls so they don’t hurt the baby. They don’t leave until the baby starts growing brown feathers and flapping, signs of independence. If the baby falls out of the nest, the parents hold fish up above as a lure back to safety.

Eventually, the fledgling eagle will feel a call to leave the familiarity of home and find a mate for life.

But before all that, Roy said, there’s a breathtaking moment. The parents soar above the nest while their child watches, slicing through the sky back and forth in a gorgeous tutorial, issuing the promise of possibility.

Look. This is what will happen if you fly.

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