Young eagles are growing very fast! The adult male, top right, keeps a close eye on the lake far below.

Sunday was my fourth outing as a volunteer at the bald eagle nest site; our job, which is coordinated by the Bureau of Reclamation, California State Parks, and local organization FOLFAN (Friends of Lakes Folsom and Natoma), is to help teach people using the trail about the eagles and keep an eye open for anybody disturbing the birds. Just about all the recreational trail users I’ve met lately are excited that these beautiful raptors have chosen this area in which to raise their family — and thrilled to get a good look at them through the spotting scope set up in the designated viewing area.

Our portion of the trail wasn’t very busy on Sunday afternoon (it seems that most of the action happened during the morning), but we did see a few kids with their parents, as well as a couple of horseback riders. The two eagle youngsters spent a fair bit of time snoozing deep within the nest; so it was a special treat whenever they did pop their heads up for a few minutes.