Field Notes from the Window: The Waiting Season

Patterns Take Shape

In late winter, bald eagles gather here in numbers. The trees tell part of the story—some thinned, others still whole—hinting at seasons past and preparation yet to come.

Across from my office window, a stand of trees regularly fills with bald eagles—sometimes a few, sometimes a dozen and even closer to sixteen—perched, watching, rotating through the branches. With a nearby dump in the area, this has become a reliable winter hangout: a place to feed, rest, and keep an eye on what the landscape is offering.

It’s still too early to say which nests in the area will be active this year. From my deck, I can see several large nests, but bald eagles are known to rotate—reusing some, skipping others, and deciding later in the season where their energy will go. For now, there’s no clear construction underway.

What is striking is the pattern in the trees themselves.

Quiet Evidence

Some trees bear the marks of use, others remain unchanged. Whether from last season or early preparation, the pattern is clear.

Two of the trees appear noticeably picked clean, their upper branches thinned compared to their neighbors. Nearby, another tree is clearly being worked down, while adjacent trees—just a few yards away—remain untouched. Whether this is from last year’s activity or the early stages of preparation is hard to say, but the selectivity is unmistakable.

Marked Trees

Picked clean beside untouched neighbors, the trees hold the record of selective eagle use.

I was reminded of this years ago while visiting Thorne Bay, when I noticed a tree stripped nearly from the top down. Jim Baichtal explained what I was seeing: bald eagles don’t just pick up fallen branches and twigs. They harvest material—using repeated landings, leverage from their weight, and winter-brittle branches weakened by freeze–thaw cycles. Once a limb gives way, it’s carried off cleanly in the talons.

What looks like damage is actually early intention.

For now, there are no fresh breaks I can clearly identify. No obvious construction. Just presence.

As spring approaches, the dynamic will change. These larger gatherings will thin out. Pairs will settle. Some nests will be chosen, others ignored. Activity will quiet as work shifts inward—repairs, reinforcement, and eventually lining the nest in preparation for eggs.

The Work Begins

A bald eagle carries a freshly gathered branch in its talons, headed toward a nearby nest. In Southeast Alaska, nest building begins long before eggs—each trip deliberate, each piece chosen.

For now, it’s the in-between season.

The eagles are watching. Waiting. Testing the landscape.

Winter Tolerance

Record-breaking snowfall blankets the trees as a bald eagle waits it out—present, patient, and clearly unimpressed.

And right outside my window, the story is just beginning.

After weeks of record snowfall, the sun returns. A bald eagle basks quietly, as winter begins to loosen its grip.

1.30.26 Bald Eagles, Juneau, Alaska

Heather Kiesel Photography, Juneau, Alaska