Wow. This is really special. A pair of Bald Eagles came to visit a nest in Central Louisiana last year. It did not appear to belong to anyone. No other Bald Eagles flew in to chase them away. With the growing number of Bald Eagles, this seems almost impossible but, yes, the nest was not in use. In fact, it had been abandoned since 2013 when the pair that had used it for so very, very long no longer laid eggs. It is assumed that they were too old to breed. That mated couple kept the territory until last year. The nest is in a tree approximately 30.8 metres or 105 feet off the ground in Kisatchie National Forest. Isn’t this just a beautiful place for a nest?
The visitors from last year returned again this year. Little is known about them except that they looked to be very young adults last year. That couple have now claimed the nest and the territory. The female laid her first egg, the first in this nest in eight years, between 15-18 January. This cute wee one was born at 11pm on 23 February 2021. How exciting. As I write this, that chick is not yet a day old. One egg, one successful hatch. Let us hope for a successful fledge for this young pair.
The very first pip. You can see that important egg tooth and the beak.
The young mother looks down at the wonderment that is about to happen – the pip of her first egg! Dad is standing by the rim of the nest watching everything. It must be so magical for them.
It is hard work getting out of those thick shells but this little one now has a large hole and it can get its foot out.
Just born and tired. 11pm 23 February.
A few hours later. The natal down has dried off and the hatchling is actually quite strong.
Looking down with love at that little bundle of natal down. Her first eaglet!
In fact, both parents were so excited today that they spent some time together brooding their little one and sharing the moment.
There is plenty of fish in the pantry: a Sacalait or Crappie, a White Perch, and it looks like a sucker.
What a darling. It is a bit of a bobblehead and it is hard for this young parent to land a bite of that beautiful fish but they will both figure it out soon.
This is a nest that I am going to recommend watching. My reasoning is simple. The sibling rivalry that occurs at Bald Eagle nests where there are two eaglets, never mind three, can be very alarming. These are new parents who both seem totally involved with this first baby of theirs. That is another reason. You can find the stream cam here:
Oh, what a wonderful day. That little eaglet is almost twenty-four hours old. Let’s all wish it a long and healthy life.
Thank you for joining me and thanks to the KNF Eagle Streaming Cam. That is where I got my scaps. And thank you to Wikimedia Commons.
Found your blog this morning. I watch Jackie and Shadow, Big Bear Valley Bald Eagles. Today is supposed to be pip day, but the past two days, parents have been very distracted and leaving the nest and eggs uncovered for sometimes a few hours! They are both still incubating, but no more sticks or fluff have been brought to the nest. Do you think the eggs could be viable still? Since Jackie laid, they have both been as normal as they always have been. Like I stated, this started happening 2 days ago. Thank you, Carla Strout 02/15/2023
Good Morning Carla, Thank you for your comment and so glad you found Bird World! I have seen eggs left uncovered for longer and in colder weather. A good example is Milda the White Tailed Eagle in Drube County, Latvia. Hers were left for at least 5 hours straight – she was starving, had lost her mate and hadn’t eaten for 8 days. The two eggs hatched. They died of starvation – it was a terrible year for that WTE but we learned lots. I have hope for those eggs of Jackie and Shadow. I believe they were disturbed by the more than 20 earthquakes around Big Bear on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. One was 2.0 and could be felt by humans; the eagles would feel the others. Well, that is my theory at least. I am hopeful..The couple have had unviable eggs before and they could also have a second clutch if something has happened.