We have three quick movies today as we catch up with some of the bald eagle action on the island. Spoiler alert: we have caught the barest glimpse of two eaglets. Let’s begin, though, with them incubating their eggs. Incubation takes 31-46 days, with the adults taking turns on the nest. My guess is that the first egg was laid somewhere near the 25th, and another a few days after that, and at that point there was always a bird on the nest.
First signs of Hatching
I’ve been watching this nest to see if there were any indications of hatching. Adult birds moving around would be a good cue, but they have been settled in pretty steadily. On February 2, I noticed a bunch of white feathers flying past the window and went over to the porch to see what was up~ startling an adult eagle off the porch. The bird flew off carrying whatever white bird it was eating, heading back for the nesting pole. When I looked up there, there was no adult settled into the nest! Even more exciting, it looks like the parent might be pulling off pieces of food for a youngster.
Glimpses of two eaglets
I’m really wishing for a bright sunny day to get a better look, but at least it was still enough to get a quick glance at two tiny heads wobbling within the strong safety of the nest. Tiny eagles hatch asynchronously, so the larger one can outcompete the smaller one if resources are scarce. Some years we have more than one surviving. Last year, a tiny eagle hatched but only lived for a few hours.
Interested in learning more about the Dewees Eagles? They started the season cracking me up with a fish that was too big to fly with, and here you’ll find her beginning the incubation phase.
