Eagles and Eyries

Lex A. Parker, MMR, CRC

A few years ago I bought a package containing a pair of eagles manufactured by Berkshire Valley. Since my layout had numerous rock faces, I always thought there would be a place for these birds. The problem was what to make the nest from. Then one day I saw a documentary on eagles that showed one of their habitats; a rock face. The eyrie appeared to be made from a variety of branch and twig sizes and, for protection, was located in an inaccessible place. These birds are obviously capable of carrying good sized branches and twigs. However, I am sure that they choose nesting locations based upon some existing structural support, such as dead trees or wedged branches. They are large birds and their nests can be up to eight feet across.

Bird

I followed the instructions provided with the casting, drilling the underbelly and ACC'ing the supplied brass wire in place for the legs. This worked, but the legs seemed a little skimpy. Therefore, I applied a little white glue to the wire with a tooth pick, blending it into the body and building up the thigh as if partially covered in feathers. After applying several layers, I was satisfied. I used the excess wire to attach the bird firmly into the selected location. I planned to locate one bird in the nest.

I wanted the second bird perched on a nearby telegraph pole cross arm. To do this I first drilled the top of the cross arm to receive the two legs. Then I cut the wire to length and glued it into the cross arm using ACC. I bent the legs backward while tilting the bird forward, creating an elbow joint and giving it a balanced look. The claws were cut from short lengths of brass wire, curled and glued into place, starting from the leg and curling over the edge of the cross arm. The joints were filled with white glue until I was satisfied with their realism. Alternatively, I could have soldered these parts together using a perch jig. Of course, I did this part after the bird was painted. All that remained then was to paint the legs and touch it up.

The eagle could be painted as one of several species such as the Golden Eagle. I preferred the Bald Eagle because the white head made it more visible. I used the same techniques explained in previous articles on painting figures. I painted the eye first in a gloss black and the legs and beak in the appropriate shades of flat yellow ochre. The head and tail feathers were painted white. The remainder of the body was painted in shades of brown working up from a dark base to lighter outer feathers, shading the underbelly and finally dry brushing lightly with white for highlights.

Nest

Since I had no intention of trying to duplicate the skill with which birds build nests, I had to find a method that simulated the intricacies of nest building. I resorted to a product called "Spanish Moss", which is already intertwined and is commonly found in florist shops. I took a clump which I felt would be right for the nest size and soaked it for a few minutes in a solution of 25% white carpenter’s glue and 75% water, similar to what I use to secure ground cover or ballast. I then squeezed out the excess moisture. After placing it on a work surface covered with a piece of waxed paper, I placed a Floquil bottle in the middle to create a depression for the bird. (A golf ball also works well.) I surrounded the nest with several other bottles or props to hold the nest roughly in a circular shape until dry. A little teasing of the sprigs was necessary to shape it while still moist. After it had dried, I removed the props and the nest from the waxed paper and generally checked it over for shape. I had to tug a little here and there to tease out the twigs again and trim with scissors to shape it and size it.

When I chose a location, the nest needed some branches for major support. I used some small branches, gluing them into a wedged position in a crevice on the rock face and later glued the nest on top, nestling it into place. Numerous other twigs were then inserted and woven through the base of the nest to act as support and framework, sticking out randomly here and there.

Finally, I installed the bird into the nest by gently wrapping the wire legs around some branches and concealing them. I placed my eagle along the edge of the nest so that it was peering out and down at its mate perched on the nearby telegraph pole. If the nest had been low enough to peer into, I may have wanted to add additional material for lining, such as down and grasses and maybe even a clutch of eggs. I did make several eggs from modeling clay, shaping them by rolling in the palm of my hand and then painting them, but I decided not to install them since they could not be seen.

Incidentally, I have found that the pigeons manufactured by Campbell Scale Models and Berkshire Valley make excellent ‘0’ scale birds.

In Canada we have had great success protecting the American Bald Eagle. Hundreds of these raptors are now breeding in increasing numbers in New Brunswick. Some of them were given to the United States to be reintroduced into their natural habitats. Add one or two to your layout as a wonderful reminder to cherish our vanishing wildlife.

Click on image to enlarge.

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