Ramona’s Bald Eagle ‘Incubating,’ Wildlife Research Institute Says

Back in December, Patch reported the exciting news that two very special feathered-friends were making a home in the Ramona Grasslands. Now, Wildlife Research Institute Executive Director Dave Bittner says the female eagle is "incubating," leading him to believe she's laid an egg or two.

"No one's been counting how many eggs," Bittner said Tuesday, noting the institute has kept its distance from the nest. "The female eagle has been incubating for two days."

The eagle pair was first spotted nesting in a Eucalyptus tree in the Grasslands the beginning of December last year. Bittner said the young pair are first-time breeders, which means they'll most likely produce just one or two eggs.

The bird expert told Patch that he expects the egg(s) to hatch in about 42 days, whereupon the young will stay in the nest for about 10 weeks.

"In the fall, they'll start wandering around," Bittner said.

The WRI director doesn't anticipate the young birds to stay in the Grasslands, however.

"Males are known to be homebodies," Bittner said. "They'll usually come back within 10 miles from where they hatched."

But the wildlife expert said the pair that's nesting high up in the Eucalyptus will probable be the only bald eagles to live on the Grasslands. "In 10 years another pair might show up," Bittner said, but he's not expecting it.

"Bald eagles won't be in the Grasslands because they're territorial," he said. "Nore more than two pairs will end up in Ramona. These young birds may end up in Lake Poway."

Bittner said though only one baby bald eagle may come from this first incubating period, more and more will be produced in the coming years.

"As bald eagles get older, they get better at reproducing," he said. "They'll produce eggs for another 25-30 years."

The Wildlife Research Institute won't bother the eagles while they incubate, but Bittner said they'll check on them aerially in a month to see if they can get a peek at how many eggs the female is keeping warm.