A wild bald eagle takes flight at sunrise after perching in a sycamore tree near the rain-fed Santiago Creek in Irvine Regional Park. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
The bald eagle has been perching at the Orange County Zoo every day for the last week -- on a branch overlooking the enclosure of the zoo’s 6-year-old female bald eagle, Olivia. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Photographers Bart Pembroke of Tustin, center, and Linda Jones of Irvine, right, train their camouflaged lenses on the odd couple of bald eagles. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
The wild eagle’s size suggests that it’s male. But it doesn’t have a wing tag and experts haven’t been able to confirm its gender. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Experts note that nearby Santiago Creek is a reliable food source; others speculate that it’s camping out at the zoo in search of company. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Its rare for the zoo to have a bald eagle in the exhibit and a wild one outside,” the zoo’s manager said. Its quite a little attraction. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
With only a few hundred mating pairs in California, bald eagles are still a relatively uncommon sight in the state, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Olivia, the Orange County Zoo’s 6-year-old female bald eagle, has an eye injury that prevents her from being released back into the wild. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
