We have some new videos to share with you, and I think after watching them you’ll notice the dramatic change in our eaglets’ behavior now that they’re around 10 weeks old and very close to flying. Our eaglets are definitely becoming young raptors. No longer do they meekly sit in the nest and wait for the parent to feed them. If they see some food they want, they go for it.
Please note that the videos below are also being offered on our YouTube channel for those who prefer to view them that way. For the clips below, left-click on the link to play the Windows Media Video file or right-click and choose “Save As” to download to your computer.
In our first video, which is from April 16, we see one of our eaglets flapping and hopping around the nest, and you can see how much stronger their wing movements are now. It’s possible that our oldest eaglet — Avis — is branching a bit, but I don’t believe both eaglets are branching because we often see at least one of them in the nest. But in the coming few weeks, both eaglets should be hopping out onto the branches of their nest tree to prepare for their first flight. (First flights are normally at 10-13 weeks of age).
In our second video, from April 23, we see an interesting interlude between our eaglets. To be honest, I’m not exactly sure what they’re doing, but they appear to be simulating the movements a grown bird would make when feeding an eaglet food.
And in our final video, which is from April 24, we get a dramatic look at one of our eaglets practically attacking the adult (and biting its talon) as it returns to the nest with a fish. This aggressive behavior shows our eaglets are rapidly becoming assertive young raptors that go after what they want, and this eaglet wanted the meal.
After the parent regains control of the meal in the video, both eaglets eat politely for a while, but then the aggressive eaglet one again lunges for the fish and grabs a big chunk, leaving the adult with a small bit of the remainder. At the end of the video, we also see the aggressive chick exhibiting some mantling behavior, which is when a bird protects its meal by spreading its wings and body over the food.
We did hear from one of our Refuge volunteers that while watching the cam monitor, they saw a parent drop off a still-flapping fish in the nest. Both eaglets then jumped on it and ate it by themselves. So our young birds are proving that they have learned how to grab live prey, kill it, and eat it themselves. Our chicks are growing up.
We’ve asked the volunteers and staff at the Refuge to keep an eye on the Eagle Cam monitor and let us know if they see any signs of branching or first flights in the coming weeks.
Other Eagle News
A couple quick notes. Be sure to check out the CCB Eagle Nest Blog to learn about the banding of the Norfolk Eagle Cam eaglets. They have some wonderful photos on that blog.
Also, they opened the hacking tower door for Noah — the Carolina Raptor Center eaglet that was raised by captive parents — although I don’t believe she flew on her first day.
Until next time,
Lisa – webmaster
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eagles, wildlife refuge, eagle cam, Blackwater Refuge, Maryland
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