Just in time for the Fourth of July, an eaglet being raised in Anthony Chabot Regional Park in Castro Valley was spotted taking one of his first flights, park officials said.
“How patriotic is that?” remarked East Bay Regional Park District wildlife program manager Doug Bell.
Parks employees, biologists and volunteers have been watching the nest where two bald eagles have returned after raising an eaglet last year.
The section of park where the eagles are nesting is in a protected area near Lake Chabot, which is regularly stocked with fish.
The eaglet, believed to be male, was spotted July 1 chirping near his mother away from the nest when his father returned to the nest with fresh fish.
The little eaglet flew about 150 meters back to his father.
The eagles are visible from a boat on Lake Chabot and also from across the lake along the West Shore Trail at Alder Point or on Chabot Dam, park officials said.
Eagles usually mate for life and a couple will use the same nest for many years. The nests can grow to 9 feet wide and weigh as much as two tons.
