Lesser Spotted Eagle (Clanga pomarina) nest in Zemgalē, Latvia 2023

[Susanne]

July 28

Branching Sunday! Good morning!


06:41: Andris brings a pine branch.



You can do it, Ieva!

[Susanne]

08:33: Branching! For the first time, Ieva feels such a branch under/in her talons. - Since I can't produce a video or gifs, there will be a number of pics to illustrate this event.





Settling in on the branch.

[Susanne]

08:36: Returning to the nest for the first time.



08:37: And instantly repeating branching. This time changing her position.

[Susanne]

Inspecting her talons.



Preening.



09:19: Casting pellets.

[Susanne]

09:32: Walking along the branch.



09:41: Back on the nest.


09:41: Reward (some 20 seconds later): Andris with a mole.



09:41:38: Warning call. Andris leaves, more calls. -

[Susanne]

Ieva cuts the mole and eats - well deserved!



She rests for a while.
11:03: Andris delivers a rodent (vole, probably).

[Susanne]

We also have a video of Ieva's branching which Baiba has prepared, thank you so much, Baiba!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPcpylxFgYY

[Susanne]

12:39: Anna delivers a frog.





Ieva has stripped the frog legs.

[Susanne]

12:56 ff.: SOS calls.
Ieva reacts and listens and watches very attentively what is going on in the territory.



At 14:06 ff.: I've never seen her doing this at day time.



14:14: Back on the branch.

[Susanne]

Turning on the branch, wing-flapping (exercise or balance? Both perhaps.)



14:18 f.: Balancing and turning on the branch.
14:21: Long jump from the nest rim onto the branch.

15:07: Andris with a very special prey. He perches on the branch below the main entry to the nest and waits until Ieva turns on her branch.



Not easy to transport the prey from there to here.

[Susanne]

Ieva mantles her "Sunday roast". When Andris leaves, he utters a warning call ('to-whom-ever-strolls-around-in-my-territory' - my amateur translation)



Close-up on the prey:



It seems to be a part of a wild bunny (or a hare?)

15:33: Anna with a mole.

[Susanne]

Anna flies away and returns with a dry branch at 15:40. She then takes care of the large prey and begins to feed Ieva.



Ieva is not totally OK with her mother being in charge of food distribution ...Anna has given Ieva a larger piece, but Ieva is focussed on the big share.



But Ieva has to give in. Anna receives her portion of the presumptive wild rabbit.
Here, Ieva keeps a piece of rabbit in her talon, her crop is already full, but she still accepts and wants morsels offered by Anna.

[Susanne]

Ieva is full to the brim. Big crop!



Meanwhile, rain has set in. And it's raining rather heavily.



18:06: Ieva has eaten the remaining rabbit paw and has transported the mole closer to her.

[Susanne]

20:44 ff. Heavy, heavy rain. Ieva is soaked.



She wanders from one corner of the nest to the other, but there is no real protection from the rain. (Anna and Andris and all the other birds in the woods and marshes will be equally affected.) It's also windy.

So, I'll make a short summary of the day.
Branching! Ieva took the left branch, as predicted by followers of this nest. I think she did it very well. She repeated her branching, worked out her balance, turned on the branch, even cast pellets.
And we had an exceptional prey today: a large part of a wild rabbit (Andris brought it and had already had his share, I think.) Ieva and Anna feasted on it, and Ieva will spend the night well-fed. Breakfast is in her pantry: a mole.

Good night! no, not yet:

21:29: Anna comes home. And she eats and feeds mole. I can't see if they've finished it, but Ieva won't be alone tonight. It's still raining, ugh.

[Susanne]

July 29



Awkward weather - still raining.

Two very wet eagles in the early morning - almost indistinguishable.



05:48: Anna leaves.



At 12:12:



Fortunately, Ieva was well-fed yesterday. She spends her energy wisely. What else should she do?

[Susanne]

Slow slow the weather conditions are improving. It's quite windy.



15:08: Andris with a black rat (rattus rattus).



Is he gone?

[Susanne]

And Ieva eats it up with delight (I think ...).



Ieva has run through the nest, jumped and spread her wings. Seems she really tested how the wind feels under wings.



You know what I'm going to do next?

[Susanne]

17:10 ff.: Ieva is branching!



Wow! Not easy, and she also walks back on the branch.



Back on the nest.



Followed by wing exercises on the nest.

[Susanne]

17:41 ff.: Second branching of the day.





18:13: And second prey of the day. Andris with another black rat, I think. The tail is rather long.

[Susanne]

20:01: Andris with a rat - educated guess: rattus norvegicus, the common rat.



Its tail hangs out of Ieva's beak - really a long tail.



20:04: Andris brings a dry branch.