When I look at this picture I can not help remembering how well the relationship had developed between Maria her eaglet and myself. He was now content with his mother who he now looked to for food instead of me. She was happy with my presence and it was around this time that I started to take the young eaglet in a basket to work with me for the morning.

She showed now sign of distress or alarm when I picked him up and placed him in the basket and walked out of the enclosure. When I returned she flew into the eyrie and started to feed him. This gave me the opportunity to socialise the eaglet to the outside world without any of the worry of food imprinting.