Wildlife Research Intitute Releases Aerial Photos of Incubating Ramona Grasslands Bald Eagle

Ramona's Wildlife Research Institute (WRI) announced at the beginning of March that the bald eagle pair that had built a nest late last year in the Grasslands may be expecting and now, they've got the pictures to prove it.

Wildlife Research Institute Executive Director Dave Bittner said in early March the female eagle has been "incubating," leading him to believe she's laid an egg or two.

The institute has captured aerial photos of the female, believed to be about three-years-old, nesting. However, WRI said, bald eagles do not normally begin building nests until they reach sexual maturity and adult plumage of white head and tail feathers at four or five years of age.

"... the three-year-old bald eagle is most likely not sexually mature, therefore any eggs produced by the pair may be infertile," WRI warned in a statement issued Wednesday.

The female eagle's partner appears to to have "fully developed adult plumage."

Although the number of eggs could not be determined, the female bald eagle was confirmed to be incubating eggs after the aerial photos were shot.

"To facilitate the pair feeling safe in the area they have chosen to build a nest, WRI asks that people do not attempt to go anywhere near the nest," the foundation stated. "The exact location of the nest will remain confidential to ensure their protection."

This is the third known nesting pair of bald eagles in San Diego County and the first in recorded history for the Ramona Grasslands.