23 February 2022
Hello Everyone,
There was a frightening situation at the nest of E21 and E22 this morning. I felt that it deserved its own post.
M15 flies in with the breakfast fish for the two eaglets at 08:26:52. The female withail feathers the black talon is hot on his t. It is easier for me to correctly identify her using that term instead of a number. She enters the nest. A tug-o-war ensues. The adults chase one another over the property. The female returns to the nest. She chases M15 off and proceeds to eat the fish. E21 is hungry and grabs some bites. At one point, the female appears to give the eaglet a couple of bites but do not mistake this for a caring Mum. She quickly pecks at 21 also. E22 stays out of the way.
Everyone appears to be fine, although the eaglets have had no further breakfast (or at least not until now). This female is large and determined, and the fight goes from the nest with the eaglets present to the air. I felt that M15 was in some danger, rightly or wrongly. He cannot afford to get injured; his responsibility continues to keep himself healthy and fed so that he can care for the eaglets til they fledge and leave the territory.
Thank you to SW Florida Eagle Cam and the Pritchett family for their streaming cam, where I took my screen captures and video clip.
Thanks Mary Ann for this update. I don’t have a good feeling for this female intruder. I kept saying I wish she would leave but she hasn’t. She’s well enough to go Fish on her own. This is a strange thing going on here. Prayers for the eaglets and M15. 🙏❤️🦅🙏💕💕
I am quite worried, Linda. M15 has not brought in prey to the eaglets since then – well up to 1400 that I could see. She is on the tree branch. The cam zoomed in to show the talon. Has she driven M15 away?
Although No one could definitely see it, I think E21 took the brunt of this fight, for as much as M tried to stay away from the eaglets, black talon woman doesn’t care, only wants the fish.I think she’s better off gone, til the Eaglets fledge, and then M & her work/ not work things out..Tis their life..Eaglets come first..I’ve never wished so much that the eaglets were already older and fledging, just so they don’t get caught up in these epic battles & get hurt.Not humanizing here, just wishing..Wild is as Wild does..TY Mary..
Hi JanMarie, It is quite a tense situation. My concern – at this moment, mid-afternoon on the nest – is that the female is on the branch and M15 has not fed the eaglets. I am going to presume that CROW is monitoring this situation carefully as it is possible she could drive M15 away. (The camera zoomed in to show it is her and her talons). M15 was doing such a fantastic job. Let us hope that stability and normality return.
I so wanted to reach through the camera with my flyswatter and pop her hiney. Instead, I resorted to screaming at my computer “git, git away from there” and “Es move away, move away!” I will happily temporarily move from NW to SW Florida to stand guard outside the property if the Pritchett family will allow. Bet I can stop unauthorized food deliveries and other people’s shenanigans…
Thank you for that, Stephanie. I needed a big laugh and a smile. These females are so big and dominant. And her talons sure show she is a scrapper…fingers crossed for tomorrow.