I’m starting off this blog post with something a little out of the ordinary, but we received some sad news last week. Some of you might remember seeing Aline Paquet’s name in our galleries (usually as Aline or Aline P). Some might even remember that in a 2007 blog post, I shared a photo Aline had sent from her home area of Quebec. We just learned that in February Aline was told she had cancer, and sadly she passed away earlier this month.

Aline was a valued cam watcher, sharing many photos that contributed greatly to our galleries and to our understanding of both the eagles and ospreys. She was also a big fan of the American Panda Cams (as many of us are), and she had dreamed of a trip to America to see Blackwater, the pandas, and some of her other favorite “Internet” spots. We will miss Aline and her enthusiastic love of nature. We’re glad she did not suffer long.

Note: The Eaglet-Naming Contest is Open

Eaglets three weeks old

Eaglet #1

When the eaglets first hatched, we were very excited that they were born only a day apart (meaning they’d be close in size) and we were just as excited to see lots of food coming to the nest, which we knew would reduce the sibling rivalry between the chicks. Unfortunately, this situation has changed. For some reason the parents cut back on the food supply, which increased the competition between the chicks, and now the older chick has firmly established itself as Eaglet #1.

The older bird gets fed first, gets the most food, is growing larger, and spends most of his non-eating time making sure the younger eaglet keeps its head down and acts submissive. During meal time, you’ve probably noticed the younger eaglet often keeps its back turned and head down until the older eaglet has finished eating. This is because the younger bird has learned that Eaglet #1 gets to eat first — and if the younger bird objects, he gets pecked and harassed.

We do believe that both birds are getting enough food — in fact today was an especially good day with fish and a rabbit in the nest. So we don’t worry about the younger eaglet surviving, we just wish things were a little easier for the youngster. The good news is this situation will not last forever. Each day the smaller bird grows bigger (although not as fast as its well-fed sibling!), and eventually it will be big enough that the older bird won’t be able to mess with it as much.

Cam watchers have asked about photos they’ve seen where the younger bird was near food in the nest but did not eat. The eaglets are still small enough that they can’t tear off meat for themselves — they are dependent on the parents to do that, but this will also change. Eventually the younger eaglet will be strong enough to tear off food and feed itself, so if there is leftover food in the nest, it won’t have to wait for a parent to feed it.

On a final observation, I know some cam watchers were worried about how often the chicks are left uncovered. The birds are able to keep themselves quite warm now, especially since they have developed their heavier and woolier second coat of down, so the parents don’t need to sit on them as much. We do see the mother return at night and stay with the chicks, but this is more for protection since the eaglets are still small enough to possibly be a victim of a Great horned owl attack. If it rains, then protection from the parent is still needed since the eaglets do not have their waterproof feathers yet, but each day we see evidence that the eaglets are beginning to develop tiny pin feathers that will eventually provide them with a nice waterproof coat of feathers like their parents have, and this will keep them safe from the elements.

We’re very close to opening our Eaglet-Naming Contest — I’ve approved the contest page and we’re just wrapping up some final technical details, then we’ll make the announcement. Thanks for your patience.

Oh — and as a final parting gift, we just recently discovered an old photo on one of our computers showing the Eagle Cam tree. I know lots of cam watchers have expressed an interest in seeing the tree, so I thought I’d share the shot.

Until next time,
Lisa – webmaster
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Tags:
eagles, wildlife refuge, eagle cam, Blackwater Refuge, Maryland

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 25th, 2009 at 8:02 pm and is filed under Eagle Cam, Eaglets. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.