Watching Eagles: Good Morning, Sunshine!

morning

Okay, I broke all the rules and did a dog blog on my Squirrel blog. That makes it so much easier easier to now do a bird blog. I confess that while I've been shivering up here in the arctic cold that has invaded the Northeast, I've been escaping to sunny Florida, where I can bask in the warmth of an eagles' aerie. I'm talking about the the bald eagles on the Southwest Florida eagle cam at http://www.ustream.tv/SouthwestFloridaEagleCam

The two parents, named Ozzie and Harriet, have been returning to this nest for 6 years. Bald eagles return to the same nest year after year. The nest resides 60 feet above the ground, in a Slash Pine tree. It is situated next to a pond and is near a river that feeds into the Gulf of Mexico. There are 133 nests in a 25 mile radius. The nests can reach 20 feet across and weigh up to 4,000 pounds. More information can be found here: http://dickpritchettrealestate.com/eagle-feed.html

The two eaglets are adorable, and watching the love and attention that their parents shower on them has been an edifying experience . E1, the oldest eagle, cracked through its egg on January 1 -- a New Year baby! E2 was born 3 days later on January 3. E1 can be a bit of a bully and will often peck at E2. It's interesting to observe this behavior in a creature that has only been on this planet for a few weeks! In the beginning they were so small and weak, but they grow bigger and stronger by the day. They soon shed their natal down and replaced it with thermal down, which keeps them warm. They walk awkwardly and seem to be burdened by their big wings which do nothing but get in the way.

From my notes:
Thursday, January 17
My first sighting, how exciting! The eaglets are very small.

Mother is feeding them something that looks like a tiny rodent. I'm guessing it's a field mouse. I shiver at the thought that it could have been a squirrel.

Friday, January 18
Today I feel the happiness of the mother eagle as she hovers over her babies and actually plays with them. Who knew? She is singing a lot this morning - a musical chirp chirp that I associate with little birds, not a big bird of prey!

I marvel at the interaction between the mother and babies when they are not feeding-- the long stares, the gentle nudges. Watching bird play is delicious! I think I hear happiness in her chirping as the eaglets snuggle up against her. Surely this is what Life is all about.

All of a sudden there's a whole bunch of joyful crowing (pardon the pun) going on, and I turn back to the cam from whatever I was doing. Daddy's here!

This is my first glimpse of the father eagle, so I'm very excited, as is the mother. Both baby eaglets are now wide awake and Dad pitches right in and starts feeding one while Mom feeds the other.

They are feeding them things right from the nest -- must be bugs that are in the nest straw. Yuck! The babies are apparently unable to peck through the straw by themselves yet, so they stand waiting to have their mouths filled by their parents. A great family moment!

1pm- Daddy leaves as suddenly as he arrived. Now it's up to Mom to satisfy the two still-hungry babies:

Sunday, January 20
When I tune to the cam this morning the eaglets are all by themselves and making plaintive noises that sound almost like crying. Maybe they feel abandoned. It must be scary when the parents leave.