The eaglets are poor hunters and may scavenge on dead prey. As the chicks develop their flight skills they harass the adults and try to take fish from them. This behavior helps eaglets learn to forage and be independent and will last into September. At 17 to 23 weeks of age, the bond between the adults and their young fades and the adults no longer tolerate harassment from their offspring. This is time when the young eagles leave the territory, following the prevailing winds to more northerly shorelines and water bodies in search of good feeding grounds.
Eagles only travel as far as they have to in order to find food.
This is particularly true of adult eagles with established territories. Should a severe winter limit the food supply, eagles will move as far south as necessary to find open water and suitable feeding grounds. The young eagle will spend the next 4 years of its life wandering across eastern North America looking for summering and wintering areas where food is accessible. When it begins to mature at age 4, an eagles seeks a mate and establishes a territory. The territory is usually located within 250 miles of the nest where the eagle was hatched.