A spectacular display Democrat & Chronicle NY

[Donna]

 When Doug Racine emailed me this photo of a pair of Bald Eagles the other day, taken at Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge, my first reaction was: Wow! What a spectacular display!
My second reaction was perplexity.
I have read that Bald Eagles will lock their talons as they tumble dramatically toward the ground as a part of their courtship.
But I had also read that Bald Eagles don’t breed until they reach their adult plumage — the classic white head and tail, black body — in their fifth year.
And these are obviously younger immature eagles in Doug’s photo. So what gives? Is this just play, or an instance of young eagles trying to breed prematurely?
My “go-to� guy on anything involving Bald Eagles is Mike Allen, formerly with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, who was involved in the efforts to reintroduce eagles in the state, and then monitor their progress, going all the way back to the initial “hacking� project at Montezuma back in 1976.
“We have seen such activity with young birds before and honestly I believe it’s instinctual on their part,� Allen replied. “They apparently know it’s part of the ritual but in this case I doubt the birds are performing breeding behavior.� Though eagles younger than 5 years have occasionally attempted to breed, he added, he suspects this was “probably more play-acting than serious.�
A Web page maintained by the Friends of Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Cambridge, Maryland notes: “As for the bald eagles’ aerial displays during courtship, most of them are very impressive. One is called the cartwheel display, where the eagles will fly high, lock talons, and then cartwheel to earth, only breaking apart at the last moment before they hit the ground or water. . . Another point to remember is that not every cartwheel display is courtship behavior. Cartwheeling is also often associated with aggression and defense of a territory. Sometimes eagles will grab at a competitor’s talons or even lock talons and plummet to earth with the other bird as a form of battle and intimidation.�
In any event, this is one spectacular display, and I thank Doug for sharing these images!

[valhalla]

Very good article, Donna!   

So, did Mike Allen retire from NYSDEC?

[Annette]

This is amazing!   
I saw it some time ago in a documentary by David Attenborough (The Life of Birds).