Estonian White-tailed Sea Eagle Nest Camera 2023

[Susanne]

16:20: Ella comes home and perches on the p-branch - greeted by both, mate and kiddo!!!



16:24: Ella tells Elmar to leave



This is really interesting: The eaglet nibbles at the fish, Ella watches it closely, then moves the fish a little further. "Do you want to try by yourself - or shall I help you?" - that's how it looks to me. - Alright, at 16:34 she begins to feed her offspring.
______________
So much visible progress today! Standing when being fed, eating by himself - the first time something I would call a "greeting call".

17:08: The feeding ends and Ella and her eaglet spend some 'quality time' together.
18:04: Ella leaves, to the left, I think. - Our big eaglet 'plays' with the things in its nest bowl - a parent's feather, sticks and stuff.

19:10: The eaglet was fed well by Ella - a bulging crop.

[Susanne]

19:39: Ella returns with some more material and greenery.



The eaglet helps to spread it, while Ella digs in the nest, turning the compost upside down.

[Susanne]

20:22/23: The cam is turned off.

[ame]

hello and thank you for the reports!
it is such a joy to see how little (!) Esta ( ? ) is developing so well!
soon she will have dark feathers and what a beauty she will be then!

growing up as the only eaglet must be so much different from the experience of growing up with a sibling or two. i have been wondering if that might have an influence in the psyche and the behaviour of the eagle in later life... unfortunately it's not likely that we'll ever know it.

[Susanne]

growing up as the only eaglet must be so much different from the experience of growing up with a sibling or two. i have been wondering if that might have an influence in the psyche and the behaviour of the eagle in later life... unfortunately it's not likely that we'll ever know it.

Hello ame
Well, we actually do have a very good example of an only nestling: Elmar! Born in 2015, successfully conquering and defending this territory, bonding with an interesting female and now raising his maybe first offspring.
Would be interesting to know if WTEs emerging from a sibling community (I don't know how to put it otherwise) have significant benefits after fledging, such as: getting to know others - peer group behaviour, etc. I also thought about the LSEs or the Golden Eagles - they have this only-one-experience as well, and deeply enscripted (up to now) in their genes. Does it impede them from anything? I would also like to know more about this subject (hello scientific community: there is still so much to investigate!).

[ame]

good morning!

i didn't know that Elmar is a single child himself.

- actually i was thinking about the first year of the eaglet. it must a nearly mind-blowing experience to see that there are other eagles in the world besides the parents and that these others are not at all interested in giving food to the single eaglet. on top of this the parents gradually stop feeding their single child and she/he has to begin to take care of her/himself.

another thing is that these singles have never had to compete or fight for their food. that must be a shocking experience. eaglets with siblings begin to learn this in their first week. (i'm not considering the LSE here or other such birds because learning has nothing to do with their behaviour. that's strictly dictated by their genes).

the first winter is difficult for the eaglets and many of them perish because they are not skilled hunters yet. they have a lot to learn, and the singles have more than the others.

[Susanne]

June 05

Tere hommikust cmerikotkad, good morning Matsalu!

Thank you YT-chat for the timestamps!

03:29: Ella performs eagle yoga on the p-branch and leaves at 03:30.
04:06: She is back with fish, a little out of breath (good huntress!).



She begins to feed until 04:29.



05:14: Ella leaves ...



... and returns to the p-branch at 05:22, where she stays for quite a while.

[Susanne]

06:58: Eaglet -> stands up, PS, Ella watches her eaglet.



07:22: Ella returns to the nest and starts feeding from 07:26 until 07:37.
09:01: Ella flies over to the meadow.
09:05: She brings another bunch of grass.



09:07: Eaglet -> PS.
09:11: Ella jumps up to the middle branch and flies down to the left at 09:12, to the treetops of the brook alley.
09:17: Yo, Ella is back with a 'twigly' branch.

[Susanne]

A nice branch, you can't complain, my dear!



09:53: Ella leaves again and flies to the left.
12:11: Elmar comes home with a big fish.



The eaglet is interested, takes some bites, it is still quite full. Elmar is panting. - The eaglet nibbles at the fish, but its hunger is not big enough yet.
Eaglet, Elmar and a fish.

[Susanne]

Both are sleeping since 13:02:



... until approx. 13:29. Since then, the eaglet is wandering, mainly seeking shade, I think.

[Susanne]

13:48: The eaglet sees her first and calls - Ella returns with a bunch of hay.



Elmar moves to the p-branch and leaves at 13:53, flying over to the observation tree.
14:00 ff.: Now the eaglet is begging for food. I can't see if Ella is feeding yet, I think she is eating first - or is she preparing some bites for the eaglet? - 14:04: The eaglet is handling some fish bones. - It looks more like an invitation to eat with her - and not being fed by her.
14:17 ff. Someone is walking beneath the nest tree. Ella looks to the left ...



...and to the right.

[Susanne]

16:15 ff.: There is a strange noise, a kind of 'soft' percussion with a repetitive pattern ( I can't describe, let alone transcribe it better), something is knocking, and is there a machine sound as well?
Very strong now at 16:21.
16:46: Ella starts to feed the eaglet. The Kiddo did a nice PS first, against the right trunk, then, already standing, walked up to Ella and took the first bites.



The eaglet swallowed some crrrrispy fishbones, too.
Feeding ends around 17:07.

[Susanne]

18:00: The cam is buffering .
And back since about 19:18.



I think it's still Ella on the nest. (?) - Yes, it is!
20:05: Eaglet -> PS. It is ready to eat, but Ella has something different in mind: cleaning up the nest. She is picking between the eaglet's toes which it doesn't like at all, it gets 'beaky'.



20:06: Ella begins to feed until roughly about 20:25, then she cleans her beak at the trunk on the right.

[Susanne]

20:35: Ella is in the mood for some more nest maintenance. The eaglet is not.



She also tries to pad the nest bowl around the eaglet. The eaglet is not very pleased.
20:50: But now it's time to sleep. Remember when Ella started the day? She left the nest for the first time at 03:30.

[Hellem]

Susanne, thank you very much for the great pictures and comments

21:34 Ella flew away
21:50 - 22:08 no picture
22:08 The cam is back and the eaglet is sleeping alone
22:36 - 00:00 no picture again
00:00 The cam view is back and Ella is also back , they both are sleeping
Good night

[Susanne]

June 06

Tere hommikust eagles and observers!

Thank you YT-chat for timestamps, as always!

03:56: Ella leaves the nest.
04:58: Eaglet -> PS.



06:04:33: A WTE leaves the nest tree, Ella is flying over from the observation tree, short call, with a branch.



She is looking after him. Was this Elmar?
06:05: Ella perches on the p-branch.
06:20: Eaglet -> PS.
From 06:28 until 06:36, Ella is on the nest and then leaves to the right.
07:27: Eaglet -> PS, and then it is standing for a minute or so .



10:05: Elmar returns, without anything, and begins to feed a snack with some fish remainders.
10:13: Elmar fleis away and at 10:16, Ella appears on the p-branch.
10:43: The eaglet calls loud, it is very hungry now. Ella is still on the p-branch - and waiting, too.

[Susanne]

Thank you Hellem for your evening/night report!

[Susanne]

10:53: Ella jumps into the nest and verifies that there is indeed nothing great to feed (it looks like an inspection to me).
10:54: She flies away to the right.
11:23: A WTE lands at the right. The eaglet calls a 'greeting'.
11:43: The WTE at the right seems to have left. - The eaglet had called very loud.
11:54: Standing and looking:



11:56/57: A WTE circles over the meadow and branches down at the left. (Ella retrieving a branch?) - Strange day so far. But maybe an educative one.
12:00: Ella returns with a big bunch of hay.

[Susanne]

12:48 ff.: Sounds of a small plane. - The eaglet is calling now and then, still waiting for food.
___________________

Up to now (13:30), this is a very untypical day here at Matsalu.
13:38 ff.: Strange sound.
14:33: Both parents arrive on the p-branch.



You could think they're strangers. They are preening, haven't brought anything, seem to ignore their eaglet.
14:38: Elmar flies away, Ella leaves at 14:40, she flies to the left.

15:25: Elmar brings a branch.



He walks up to the pantry to check the remainders, mostly fishbones and maybe some dried pieces. Not satisfying for the eaglet.
15:33: Elmar leaves and circles over to the woods at the left.

- In the YT-chat, they say Ella left at 16:44. Sorry, I haven't seen her, anyone?

[Susanne]

19:23 ff. : Crash-boom-bang-Ella brings a huge branch.







19:25: Eaglet -> PS, Ella jumps to a left top branch, then to the middle top, and at 19:26, she is off again. The eaglet complains, standing.