During this time the eagles will:

• perch in the nest tree or in adjacent trees, keeping the nest in sight
• begin working on the nest- fixing holes, building a new cup
• often perch shoulder to shoulder
• perform courtship flights
• Flying close together
• Diving and tumbling
• Making contact with each other in flight

Female bald eagles usually lay two eggs, though they can lay as few as one or as many as four. Each egg is laid about 2 to 3 days apart, so it takes 3 to 6 days for the female to lay her clutch.

Once the first egg is laid, the incubation period starts, and it lasts for 35 days after the last egg was laid. During this time:

• There will be an eagle on the nest around the clock.
• The pair takes turns incubating the egg(s) and hunting and protecting the nest.
• The incubating eagle sits down low in the nest and is hard to see. Its head may be visible, or you may only to detect its presence when it stands up to stretch, adjust nest material, roll the eggs, or trade off with its mate.
• Eggs are rolled over by parents about every 2 hours, so during a 2-hour observation period, you should see some movement in the nest.

Eggs will hatch 35 days after they were laid, so depending on when they were laid, they will hatch sometime between mid-March to early June. Eagle eggs hatch one to several days apart, depending on when they were laid. If the eggs do not hatch, the parents will continue to incubate for a while and then start spending more and more time off the nest, eventually giving up.

For the first 3 weeks after hatching, the female does most of the brooding (caring for the chicks). She will spend most of her time in the nest and the male will bring food for her and the chicks and relieve her for short periods. Now that chicks are present, the adult eagles will be more active and visible, sitting higher in the nest. It may be weeks before the chick(s) are big enough and mobile enough to be seen in the nest from the ground.

After the first 3 weeks, both parents start leaving the nest unattended for short periods of time.

By weeks 5 and 6, the parents take longer periods of time away from the nest and begin to roost away from the nest. They will continue to protect the nestlings from inclement weather during this time.

By 10 weeks of age, eaglets start exercising their wings by jumping up and down in the nest. Next, they will start taking short hops/flights to branches within the nest tree. This is known as “branching”. This behavior will continue for up to 7-10 days before they fledge.

Most eaglets fledge (take their first flight) around 12 weeks, but the timing of actual fledging can be influenced by many factors. Parents may try to coax reluctant nestlings out of the nest with food and vocalizations.

For the first 6 weeks after fledging, the young eagles typically stay close to the nest site and their parents. It may continue to return to the nest during this time. Regardless, its parents will continue to bring it food as long as they know where it is. Parents continue to deliver food to their fledglings until they learn to hunt on their own, typically between four and 10 weeks after leaving the nest.

Once the young eagles can find food on their own (usually in early fall), the parents go their separate ways and remain solitary until the following breeding season.

https://journeynorth.org/tm/eagle/annual/may_nestlings.html

https://avianreport.com/baby-bald-eagles/

https://www.eagles.org/what-we-do/educate/learn-about-eagles/bald-eaglets/