Eagles in the snow

[navigator9]

Stay safe everyone affected by the blizzard today! In these conditions we sometimes forget that we humans aren't the only ones affected by the weather. Last year, I watched the Washington DC eagles raise their two offspring in their nest in the arboretum, and then watched the youngsters fledge, and while it was thrilling to watch them leave the nest, I was saddened because for months they had been my morning coffee companions. I'd check in on them each morning to see how they were progressing, it was fascinating to watch them grow from tiny fluffballs into gangly "teens" and then young eaglets capable of surviving on their own.

Well, the parents returned to the nest, and laid two more eggs at the end of February. They have been diligently sitting on the eggs, rolling them, fluffing the soft lining of the egg bowl, taking turns with their duties...such good parents. So again, I've been checking on them each morning, and as I was making my coffee today and looking out the window at the falling snow, I was wondering how the eagles were in this storm and what I would see when I checked in. It was so beautiful, I thought I'd share it with you. Those eggs are safe and warm!

© 2017 American Eagle Foundation, DCEAGLECAM.ORG.

 

[lsg]

Great picture. Thanks for sharing.

 

[dixiedragon]

What a great pic! I used to work at a wildlife rescue organization, and birds of prey are VERY parental. So parental that they make excellent foster parents. Baby hawks, owls, etc are very expensive to feed - they eat a HUGE number of mice. Since these birds tend to nest in the same place year after year, they had a few different nests they kept track of and they'd have their tree-climbing volunteers put the orphaned babies in those nests. One pair of barn owls fostered 20 babies over one spring and summer!

Even though they are good parents, they are bad nest builders, so the nests fall apart and the babies fall out. So in the non-breeding season, the organization would put the nests into sturdy Rubbermaid laundry baskets so foster babies wouldn't fall out. The barn owls I think got nest boxes built into barns, warehouses, etc.

http://www.reuniteraptors.org/2011/11/02/great-horned-owl-case-history-6/

 

[cmzaha]

What a great way to enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning. Such a beautiful picture

 

[navigator9]

What a great pic! I used to work at a wildlife rescue organization, and birds of prey are VERY parental. So parental that they make excellent foster parents. Baby hawks, owls, etc are very expensive to feed - they eat a HUGE number of mice. Since these birds tend to nest in the same place year after year, they had a few different nests they kept track of and they'd have their tree-climbing volunteers put the orphaned babies in those nests. One pair of barn owls fostered 20 babies over one spring and summer!

Even though they are good parents, they are bad nest builders, so the nests fall apart and the babies fall out. So in the non-breeding season, the organization would put the nests into sturdy Rubbermaid laundry baskets so foster babies wouldn't fall out. The barn owls I think got nest boxes built into barns, warehouses, etc.

http://www.reuniteraptors.org/2011/11/02/great-horned-owl-case-history-6/

Thanks for the link, love the owls in a laundry basket! I'm always fascinated by the natural world. And I'm glad you all enjoyed the eagles. Having the opportunity, thanks to the internet, to be able to perch on the edge of their nest and watch their babies grow up, is a gift I never get tired of.

 

[HowieRoll]

That picture IS beautiful. Aaah, nature.

I've been with a wildlife rehab center going on 7 years now (both as a volunteer and animal care staff member), and animals never cease to amaze me. Like dixiedragon said, raptors (especially great-horned owls) make lousy nests and we are expecting owlets to start coming in any day now that have fallen out (every year, like clockwork...). It's so important to re-nest them because they can imprint on humans very easily (some species are more prone to this than others). The hardest part is finding a volunteer willing to climb 20 feet up into a tree with a basket-ful of owlets and some bungee cords. Especially when an agitated mama is nearby...

 

[HowieRoll]

PS navigator9, hopefully your breakfast included those amazing chocolate raspberry tartlets! Oh, I saw 'em. I didn't comment on the thread, but I saw 'em all right. In all their tiny, delicious-filled glory.

PPS I meant to add the PS to my post above by editing it, but accidentally entered a whole new post. oopsie!

 

[lenarenee]

Been checking them all night. It's after midnight EST - I've only seen one eagle. Should we would be worried?

 

[navigator9]

PS navigator9, hopefully your breakfast included those amazing chocolate raspberry tartlets! Oh, I saw 'em. I didn't comment on the thread, but I saw 'em all right. In all their tiny, delicious-filled glory.

PPS I meant to add the PS to my post above by editing it, but accidentally entered a whole new post. oopsie!

LOL, no tartlets for me, I gave them all to my girlfriend, so hopefully she and her husband have finished them off by now. But my birthday isn't too far down the road, I'll start throwing some hints her way!!!

 

[navigator9]

Been checking them all night. It's after midnight EST - I've only seen one eagle. Should we would be worried?

Not to worry, there is usually only one adult on the nest at a time. The other one sleeps nearby at night, and during the day, is off getting food for him/herself and later the babies. They switch back and forth the job of sitting on the eggs. That's why it was so unusual and beautiful to see them both cuddled together, keeping each other and the eggs warm. And you could tell by the snow on their feathers that they had been that way for a while. It was really a treat to see them like that.

 

[navigator9]

dixiedragon and howie, I was curious after reading your posts to see what an owl's nest really looked like, and I found this pic that shows how disorganized it can be. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/543528248750651702/ I guess the owl's wisdom doesn't extend to building a nest! They are lucky to have people watching out for them, with baskets and in this case a wash tub. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/543528248750651811/ Such beautiful creatures!

 

[navigator9]

Been checking them all night. It's after midnight EST - I've only seen one eagle. Should we would be worried?

Here is a pic of the switchover. The eagle on the left has just arrived to take over egg sitting duty. He/she brought a piece of a fish, which you can see the eagle on the right eating. The one on the right enjoyed the little snack, and then flew off to stretch his/her wings and hunt for food, while the other keeps the eggs warm until it's time to switch again. And you can see the eggs!

© 2017 American Eagle Foundation, DCEAGLECAM.ORG.

 

[HowieRoll]

dixiedragon and howie, I was curious after reading your posts to see what an owl's nest really looked like, and I found this pic that shows how disorganized it can be. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/543528248750651702/ I guess the owl's wisdom doesn't extend to building a nest! They are lucky to have people watching out for them, with baskets and in this case a wash tub. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/543528248750651811/ Such beautiful creatures!

"Disorganized" - haha, that is a very good description of an owl's nest.

Thanks for capturing that photo of the changing of the guard duties. It's another beautiful action shot that shows so much about their innate senses.

A fun farm fact for anyone who might be interested is that adult female bald eagles are always larger than the males. This is also the case with most other birds of prey species. If these eagles would cooperate and line up side-by-side it would be fairly easy to tell which is which.

 

[lenarenee]

Here is a pic of the switchover. The eagle on the left has just arrived to take over egg sitting duty. He/she brought a piece of a fish, which you can see the eagle on the right eating. The one on the right enjoyed the little snack, and then flew off to stretch his/her wings and hunt for food, while the other keeps the eggs warm until it's time to switch again. And you can see the eggs!

© 2017 American Eagle Foundation, DCEAGLECAM.ORG.

Oh thank you for that Navigator!! That's a relief! I checked twice this morning and still saw only one eagle and was very, very worried. Could one eagle successfully raise a brood? I'd have been tempted to call someone (park ranger?) to have them buy some feeder mice twice a week for the poor lone parent!

 

[navigator9]

Oh thank you for that Navigator!! That's a relief! I checked twice this morning and still saw only one eagle and was very, very worried. Could one eagle successfully raise a brood? I'd have been tempted to call someone (park ranger?) to have them buy some feeder mice twice a week for the poor lone parent!

lenarenee, I'm hardly an expert, knowing all of what I do from watching and reading a bit last year, but I would think it would be next to impossible for one adult to raise a brood. With two, one sits on the eggs to keep them warm and guard from predators while the other one goes off to feed, and then comes back to switch positions and allow the other one to feed. Once the babies are born, one adult stays with the babies while the other goes to feed and also to bring food back to the nest. When they are small, one adult is always there to protect them, because they are helpless against predators. As they get a bit older, the parents will leave for short periods, but from what I understand, will be close enough to swoop in if danger threatens, until the offspring are quite big. One adult would have a very hard time feeding the young and itself and guarding them at the same time. Both male and female are incredibly attentive parents, it's such a delight to watch! And just so you know, they are closely monitored. There's a person manning the cameras, sometimes you will see the camera move around or zoom in. Although they surely would want to help in a dangerous situation, I'm not sure how much they could interfere. There is a note on the page that explains that this is a wild eagle nest, and as difficult as it may be to watch, anything can happen. Last year, both offspring fledged successfully, so I'm hoping it's the same this year, too!

 

[lenarenee]

And it's official!! Both Honor and Glory survived to adulthood and have completely fledged! (although Glory visited the nest 2 days ago) [ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pf1BgTBCoUE[/ame]

 

[Cindy2428]

I love a happy ending... or in the case of these two, a bright beginning!

 

[navigator9]

And it's official!! Both Honor and Glory survived to adulthood and have completely fledged! (although Glory visited the nest 2 days ago) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pf1BgTBCoUE

Yes, the last time I saw them, they were sitting next to each other just like in the beginning shot of the youtube video you posted. It was almost like they knew that soon, they'd be off on their own, and were enjoying spending some time together before saying goodbye. I love this website so much. This is the second year I've been able to watch from the time the eggs were laid, until the young ones had fledged. And this year, there was the excitement of the rescue and return to the nest. There are a lot of negative things to be said about the internet, but opportunities like this never existed when I was growing up, and I feel so fortunate to be able to "virtually" perch on the edge of an eagle's nest and watch their every move, from egg, to white puffball, to gray fluff, to feathers, to flight. I'm already looking forward to next year!