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Sending off our young adults to fend for themselves, to live independently of us–it's what all those years of toddler-through-teens parenting were about. And yet, it's hard to let go. We want to hold their hands, keep the safety net in place, be there for them should they falter. We're only human. We're parents. We're not sure the wings are ready for flight.

So what can we learn about launching children up and out of the nest from non-humans who literally have wings and live in a nest? From a photo essay on bald eagles that live amongst trees along the Nith River in Ontario, Canada, there is parenting advice to glean from the fly-away world. 

It's worth linking to the story for the photos of bald eagles and their young. Meanwhile, here are some tips from the birds, as translated by photographer Paul Gains, who has spent several years following bird families along the Nith. I've edited his comments for clarity and brevity.

The issue for bald eagle parents:

Every year they cater to a new brood of young, and teach them to hunt and fly. Although eaglets are almost fully grown at three months of age — and have closely studied their parents’ behaviour — they still have to figure out the mechanics of flight. Should they leap or flap their wings first? And what constitutes a safe landing?

Some eaglets will assess the risk of flight, decide it’s too high and instead confine themselves on a branch for days. The adults will attempt to feed them in that position, but without a nest to catch them, meals often wind up on the ground below. It’s no wonder bald eagle mortality rates are roughly 50 per cent in their first year.

Support during the learning curve:

An eaglet can spend weeks perched on a branch after struggling to gain sufficient elevation to get back into the nest. The adult male may bring a fish and then feed her beak to beak. Or drop a freshly caught fish by the river’s edge. It takes a few attempts but the eaglet manages to retrieve it. This is a hunting lesson provided by an expert fisher.