Technical Update: First, we want to apologize for the trouble we’ve been having with our satellite dish. When our problem first appeared, our dish provider suggested we reboot the dish modem to fix our issue, and that worked in the beginning, but the problem has come back and the fix doesn’t seem to be working now. It’s possible we need upgraded software, so we’re trying to get this issue wrapped up before the hatching starts, which should be around March 1.

Our parents are doing a good job of incubating the eggs, and so far they’ve had pretty good weather, although it was very windy on Sunday with powerful gusts. We always get a little nervous with really strong winds since eagle nests do come down in windy weather, but fortunately our nest is in the woods, so the surrounding trees help diminish the wind speed.

At the end of last week we saw a couple funny sequences on the cam showing one parent putting grass on the other parent, who was sitting on the eggs. Here you can see the images: Image 1 and Image 2. If you remember, last year we captured some video of the mother putting a pine branch on dad, which he promptly took off, only to have mom put it right back on him. We’re still not sure why the parents do this, but it’s amusing to watch.

Incubation Videos

I have two new videos to share. I captured these last week after both our eggs had arrived. Left-click on the links below to play the movies or right-click and choose “Save Target As” or “Save Link As” to download the movies.

In the first video clip, we see the male eagle sitting on the eggs, and then the female arrives with some fresh grass in her talons. The male eventually gets up off the eggs and flies away, and the female then settles over the eggs and begins incubating them. One thing worth noticing is how she aerates the grass in the cup before she sits down on the eggs. Another thing to look for is how once she’s down, she rocks her body back and forth to ensure that the eggs are tight against her brood patch.

6.8 MB

In the second video clip we see the parent getting up and gently rolling the eggs with both their talon and beak. Often eagle parents will curl up their talons when rolling the eggs so as not to accidentally puncture them.

6 MB

Scenic Blackwater Refuge

Our friend Georgena Terry — the founder of Terry Precision Cycling — was recently at Blackwater Refuge and shared with me some beautiful scenic photos she took from our Wildlife Drive. In the first photo we see the Blackwater River, the marsh, and a group of geese sitting out on the water. The trees on the left are a popular perching place for bald eagles. And in the second photo we see another part of the river marsh at a different time of day, with geese both on the water and in the air. For those who have never been to the Refuge, these photos are classic Blackwater. Much thanks to Georgena for sharing her photography.

Miscellaneous News

As we reported on the Eagle Cam page earlier, the Eagle Cam at the National Conservation Training Center in West Virginia now has three eggs. Much congratulations to them!

Also, we saw an interesting bald eagle post by John Blakeman on the Pale Male raptor blog. What’s interesting about the post is how raptor-expert Blakeman talks about Ohio bald eagles that are nesting inland — away from water — and what they’re finding to eat.

As the bald eagle population in America grows, and choice coastal nesting spots become harder to find, more eagles may be forced inland to find areas to raise their young. While it’s possible for eagles to adapt, it will mean they will have to move away from a predominately fish-based diet, to a diet that more closely resembles the golden eagle, which is common in the West. No one is really sure how successful bald eagles will be at making this adaptation.

Until next time,
Lisa - webmaster
Contact

Tags:
eagles, wildlife refuge, eagle cam, incubation, Blackwater Refuge, Maryland