26 March 2022
Just as I am starting to check all of the nests, there is an intervention happening on the WRDC Bald Eagle nest in the Miami Zoo. R2 got entangled in fishing line. The camera is down and let us all hope that there are no injuries to this amazing eaglet.
The big news of the morning came as a subject line a couple of minutes ago from ‘B’. “Annie has an egg!” Wow. Thank you ‘B’. (I was very busy watching Dale Hollow).
We have all been wondering how the soap opera with Annie and Grinnell was working out. This says it all. It looks like the egg arrived about 08:30:17 nest time in San Francisco. So happy…..wonder if Annie is going to join the ‘4 egg club’ for this year?
Annie is having a nest rest. She should sleep as much as she can. Once the eggs are all laid she will get a reprieve of 33-35 days and then there will be no rest! So, so happy!!!!!!!!!!! This really is turning out to be a joyous morning.
Cal Falcons just posted a video of this wonderful event.
It started out as a promising morning at the Dale Hollow nest. River and Obey had a big fish left on the nest overnight. Because of this, there was no waiting for breakfast and Big did not get herself into a ‘mood’. River was on the nest and at 09:04 she went over to the fish and lifted it up. Big went up to eat first. Little Middle stayed behind watching. Little Middle moved up to the feeding spot at 09:09:54. In other words, Little Middle let Big eat for about three minutes while listening and watching. It all worked out. River fed both chicks together up at the table. There was no intimidation by Big. Oh, joy!!!!!!!
Smart Little Middle. Test the temperature of Big before moving up. That said, Little Middle duly recognized Big as the dominant allowing her to eat first. Perfect.
Little Middle moves up and River stretches to give some great bites to her youngest.
Little Middle’s crop was flat at the start of the feeding. Now look! And also have a look at the size of Little Middle’s feet——– this kiddo is growing. Yippeeeeeeee.
What a wonderful start to the day at Dale Hollow.
River and Obey have found a stash of corn stalks and they are using them to create new railings around the nest. Smart. Big and Little Middle are going to need them. Several times I thought Little Middle was going to fall out of that nest.
By 10:00 the parents are away perhaps retrieving more rails. Meanwhile, the two eaglets are resting and the sucker Obey brought in is hidden.
At 10:50:30 River removes the Sucker from the centre of the nest to the rim where she can feed the eaglets. Little Middle watches and listens but does not go up to River and the fish allowing Big to be there first.
At 10:54:57 Big drops a bite, River holds it up and Little Middle does the snatch and grab!
Big was not happy and attacks Little Middle. Little Middle immediately goes into submission and moves away from the feeding to the rim of the nest.
I could hardly believe my eyes. River stopped and turned so that she could feed Little Middle at 11:01:20. This is quite the change!!!! Wow.
The wind almost blew her off the nest. It is so windy that River is going to have to go back to being parallel with the rim of the nest.
This gives the feeding advantage to Big.
By 11:08 Little Middle has moved up to get some fish.
By 11:17:18 Little Middle has a nice crop that has built up. The feeding finishes at 11:18. There is little to no fish left! This has been a good morning for Little Middle. Some intimidation but nothing that would have harmed him. Just reminders to remain cautious.
The Canada Goose at the unused Bald Eagle nest in Decorah, Iowa laid her second egg last night. She is using the twigs from the former eagle nest to cover them.
It is a Cormorant food fest at the West End Bald Eagle nest of Thunder and Akecheta. In the image below they are enjoying the one that Thunder brought in yesterday. Dad Akecheta’s performance at feeding is excellent. Look at all three of them lined up. No problems. Nothing. Serene and solace. There is a new Cormorant behind the big stick that appears to have been brought in today. By the time the season is over will there be any Cormorants left in the Channel Islands?!
At the Two Harbour’s Bald Eagle nest of Chase and Cholyn, Thunder’s parents, Cholyn is incubating. Pip watch should be soon.
The parents at the Pittsburgh-Hayes Bald Eagle nest are feeding their three now!
Everything seems to be going well at the National Arboretum nest of Mr President and Lotus. The eaglet hatched at 14:55 on the 25th and is the first hatch at this nest in four years. Well done!
Wonder where that gold fish came from????
All cuddled up next to what could be a younger sibling.
The two eaglets at the Redding nest of Guardian and Liberty have been enjoying a lot of Coot for their first feedings. The oldest hatched on 20 March with the youngest three days later on 23 March.
Liberty is 23 years old and Guardian is 8 years old. Another nest where the female is much older. Liberty has fledged four sets of triplets – in 2009,. 2010, 2015, and last year, in 2021. It is a nice eaglet nest to watch and here is the link:
If you missed it, Mrs G arrived back at Glaslyn today. She is waiting for Aran and in the meantime, she is enjoying a fresh fish that she caught herself!
It has just been a pretty good day all around the nests. I am off to check on the arrival of geese and ducks here on the Canadian Prairie.
Thank you so much for joining me today. Take care. See you soon!
Thank you to the following for their streaming cams where I took my screen captures: Dale Hollow Lake Eagle Cam, Cal Falcons, Redding Bald Eagles, Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn, National Arboretum Bald Eagles and the AEF, Pix Cams, and Explore.org
Thank you Mary Ann! Congratulations to Annie and Grinnell! Hope they have a good season! ❤️❤️
Glad all is going well for little middle at DH! Thanks for the pics, links, and info!
Have a great evening and take care!
Linda
Linda, it is all good but Mr P and Lotus. The wee one died during the night but they didn’t announce it til later today. I had seen no feedings and wondered. I hope that the other egg hatches and they have one! That would be grand. Thank you so much for your note and your delight at Grinnell and Annie! She loves him!!!!!!
So glad to hear everything is calm or as calm as it can be at Dale Hollow. Little Middle is a smart cookie. H/S knows what’s up. I think the fear must be lessening a little now that Big seems to be content with Little accepting her top eaglet position. So I’m cautiously optimistic again. Middle has clown feet already, lol. I think Middle’s growth has tamped down Big’s aggression quite a bit because she doesn’t have as much of the upper hand now. And River is being such a good mom, making sure Middle gets her share. So I’m enjoying all the good news out of this nest.
Every time I see the goose in the Decorah nest I crack up. It’s so funny. Can’t wait to see the goslings make their spectacular leap from the nest!
Amazingly there are three triplet nests that are all doing so well. If Liberty’s third egg hadn’t broken, there would have been 4 sets of triplets. Truth be told it will be easier on Liberty to feed two chicks, giving her a little break, since she raised triplets last year.
So happy for the returning Mrs. G. We have many Osprey nests where I live. They are built on tall poles with a platform on top. About 10 years ago I was driving to get hay for my horses and as I passed by one of the Osprey nests there was a big commotion, a chick had fallen from the nest so the entire rescue team was there checking out the baby, making sure it wasn’t injured in the fall. I remember watching them leave with chick in tow, hoping nothing was broken during the fall. I never did find out but I want to believe that chick was fine.
Love to all the great nests with their little ones or soon to be hatched eaglets. I laughed out load when I saw the goldfish in Mr. P and Lotus’s nest. Was Mr. P fishing in someone’s pond? LOL. Gotta love Mr. P, he reminds me so much of Shadow at BB. They are both comedians. (:
Hi Lily, Thank you so much for your note. Yes, it is all good and it is simply such a relief. Sadly, the new hatch for Mr P and Lotus died during the might. I rewound the camera and could not see any feedings. Thought it odd and then found out. They have one more egg to hatch. Last year there was an Osprey that kept coming in with ornamental Koi. There had to be a private pond somewhere! So I think you are right. Mr P picked it out of someone’s pond. One baby would be great!!!! Oh, you are so fortunate to have the Ospreys near you. I, too, hoped the little one survived the fall at the nest near you. It sounds like good people around to try and make its recovery possible. How wonderful. Continue to laugh…those geese jumping are going to be so much fun! Take care!
Oh no, how sad for Mr. P and Lotus. ); I’m heartbroken. It’s been so long since he’s had a little, everyone cheered this hatch. I wonder what happened? The chick looked vibrant and so sweet.
Sending all good wishes and prayers to the second egg, Mr. P and Lotus.
Hi Lily, Check out latest blog. An eagle specialist gave a detailed account of what went wrong…so sad, such a rare accident. I really hope that they get a chance to parent. Let us send really good wishes for that second egg to hatch for this lovely eagle couple. Thank you so much for writing!
Mary Ann thanks for your work. I am addicted to the dale hollow live cam and rooting for little middle, can you tell me what was happening to the eaglets early yesterday evening . It looked like river was biting and pulling feathers on big. I had not seen this behavior before and wondered. River was really rough with eaglets. Thanks, beverly
Hi Beverly, you will notice that the eaglets and ospreys – all raptors – do ‘preening’. It is like cleaning. They remove ectoparasites, put the feathers back into position, etc. It has been wet on the nest and the nesting material might have gotten in there, too. Feathers are so important that this is one way to help maintain them. Thanks so much for writing in!