Bonding or mating.....it was exciting to watch. Observations from Decemer 23, 2013

I got to Honey Bee way later than I wanted to. But as I rolled down S. Independence just before 10:30am, my heart skipped a few beats! There were two eagles on the Osprey nest tower!

 I was able to determine that it was the banded female in the nest and HK perched protectively on the tower. I pulled my SUV off the road and parked. And settled in to watch and learn.

HK hopped in and hopped out of the nest several times.

 At one point, he looked directly at me. I was still in the SUV.

The last time he hopped in, both eagles disappeared for about two minutes. What were they doing?!
This is what I saw when they reappeared.

It seemed as though it was bonding or perhaps mating. Maybe HK was dismounting her. He moved off to the side. (HK on the right)

Then he hopped to the right side of the tower and she remained in the Osprey nest.

They stayed there for a good while.

And eventually flew off.
And I was left with a couple of hundred photos! I had never witnessed this and I was breathless! An amazing experience!