I began to realize as this past week went on, that there were no Nest Lining Materials that were trying to be brought to the nest by Mom Loblolly and Dad Pitch. This is critical because it was telling me that I needed to double check my possible egg laying dates. The nest lining materials are the last materials that go into the nest before Mom Loblolly lays her precious eggs. I was seeing lots of repair sticks trying to get to the nest (and often diverted by human intrusion) but no talons full of clutches of soft grasses. These grass materials, usually scooped from shorelines where the waves have stacked up these soft stems, are used to line the inside of the nest. This lining is then wallowed out and arranged by beak by Mom to make a protective nest bowl for the eggs and for the comfort of the incubating parent. So, over the last day or so, in consultation with the observations of others and their thoughts, the possible egg-laying date has been modified to February 1. Now, that gives us a little extra time to work on getting the gate closed so these parents are no longer harassed. It is always interesting when working with a new nest of only one prior breeding cycle because the parameters are just not really known until you have a couple of breeding seasons to use for data sources – that’s why field notes exist! So breathe a little tiny bit easier with me and let’s continue the CAMPAIGNING to get the gate CLOSED. There is now ADDITIONAL CONTACT information for you to use … it is available on the post for January 8 and the link to the same list with active hyperlinks is at my blog site https://docellensjourney.com/2022/01/08/help-big-pine-bald-eagle-nest-a-dozen-contacts/(opens in a new tab)! 1st photo is Mom Loblolly, 2nd photo is Dad Pitch this morning circling over their nest.