Harriet & M15, American Bald Eagle Cam

[balistar]

E13 felt on its back, feet up, kicking with its feet


M came to look if he can help


H and E13 managed alone, E13 could turn back on its feet and escaped under M

[balistar]

....
I don't think, that there is a very bad bonking here. It is actually very moderate. I saw a lot worse. So bad, that you could hardly watch it. Lack of food is the reason.. Here most of the time is enough food. Only sometimes it comes a little late in the day. Then the older leaves out his frustration on the younger. Even if no food has arrived.
....

Liz,
thanks for vid, pictures and your comment.

Yes, sure, i agree totally, there are a lot worse bonking or/and other really cruel situations at other nests. I also remember last season the fate of SE22, Australien white bellied Sea Eagles, i was not able to watch anymore. I also remember the hard times for the younger ones at Latvia's WTE-nests last season, when there was a lack of food, or many other nests.

I just want to say, even if it is not that worse at this nest SWFL, it is not always a pleasure (for me) to watch the "normal rules and bonking in eagles nest" - and i think it is also worth to report about - without catastrophizing. Only to show/report what happens in this nest.

[Liz01]

Liz,
thanks for vid, pictures and your comment.

Yes, sure, i agree totally, there are a lot worse bonking or/and other really cruel situations at other nests. I also remember last season the fate of SE22, Australien white bellied Sea Eagles, i was not able to watch anymore. I also remember the hard times for the younger ones at Latvia's WTE-nests last season, when there was a lack of food, or many other nests.

I just want to say, even if it is not that worse at this nest SWFL, it is not always a pleasure (for me) to watch the "normal rules and bonking in eagles nest" - and i think it is also worth to report about - without catastrophizing. Only to show/report what happens in this nest.

balister, also thanks to you for your pictures and comments.
I agree!
I was almost not able to observed , what happened to our Vilnis. My heart has bled! I could not take pictures or videos.

On the other hand, If we document only beautiful events, then it is not a documentation. Sometimes, not even pictures are meaningful. You do not see how they behave. What the occasion for an incident is. That's where videos help a lot.
Without really observing, I can not say that here the situation at the nest is worse than at another nest.

Anyway, I will definitely not set any pictures or videos in this thread, who are not welcome.

[Birdfriend]

balistar and Liz!

I can good understand what you feel, I watched this nest intensely at the season with E7 and E8.
E8 must went through many disasters, was bonked from his sibling very brutal sometimes. Then a fishing line entangled his foot. He was rescued from vets, he was underweight, they feed them. As he was healthy again they brought him back to the nest. E7 started again with the bonking, pulled him through the nest on his wing, it was hard to watch.
When E8 was a fledgling an GHO attacked him on the branch...
I think, in this nest it gives almost a harder bonking than in other nests, although in a eagle nest it is usual that most the older sib bonks and pecks the younger one. That is gen-specific and a surviving strategy. One eaglet has more of that, the other less...that's the nature and she can be really hard.
Edit: E13 reminds me much at E8...

[Birdfriend]

...
Anyway, I will definitely not set any pictures or videos in this thread, who are not welcome.

It is maybe helpful to add the hint: Attention, it could be hard to watch!

[balistar]

Birdfriend,

thank you very much for your meaningful comment, you put it together well. I agree with everything you said, even though I did not watch the season with E7 and E8.

What I do not like in general (i don't mean your or Liz' comment !!) is the belittlement of a bad treatment.

For example:
this morning at 6.40 started for E13 also with being bonked several times.
About the feeding at 8.10 SWFEC wrote:
" 8:10am Harriet picks up the remaining fish and begins to feed E12.. E12 got a bite, E13 got a bite and Harriet ate the rest."

But in fact it was that E12 got 24 bites (!) and E13 got 1 (!), and this one only when E13 snatched it very fast out of H's beak when she wanted to feed it to E12. (i counted and captured each bite with screenshots and timestamps). Rest of this feeding E13 stayed down submissive.


At the moment in this nest the food intake for E13 becomes more and more like running the gauntlet - and i assume for E13 this is tough enough and he(?) must endure enough.
I hope, that this bonking time will be over in the next two weeks and E13 will go through reasonably well.

[Liz01]

Feeding pictures


The claws are so big


E13

[Liz01]

Still E13


big crop on E13 ( and E12 too)

[Ferenz]

[balistar]

9.10 E13 sitting up


9.12 E13, lovably, has also reached the "clown feet stage"


9.18 E13 nibbling on the fish carcasse

[Abigyl]

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13th

Good Morning !

Kids were very active under Mom during the night. At 00:40 she had enough and left them alone on the nest

01:30 They are still alone, moving and preening. Big kids

[balistar]

6.58 E13 is awake first and begins stretching


E12 lifts head, E13 stretching


WOW - E13 does a HUGE PS
no wonder, the crops were fully full yesterday evening

[balistar]

both sitting up, looking around, recognizing they are alone in nest - where is Mom ?


E12 yawned, sees E12 is first up and awake


and same procedure as every morning...... bonks E13 down
You shall not be the first who is up
remember, i'm the elder one, i'm bigger and stronger than you

[balistar]

6.59 now E12 is stretching...


....and doing a PS quite as huge as E13's
E12's crop yesterday evening was incredible monstrous


7.00 both sitting up looking to the attic - aaaah, there is Mom

[balistar]

7.00 a second later H came down to nest, picked up the remaining fishtail and E12 came to have breakfast. A few bites for E12 and H downs the fishtail.

7.02 H feeding E12 and E13 looks over its shoulder, knowing its not yet for him


H picked up another nestover, tried to pull off some meat, but there wasn't much left on it, H ate the pelt.

7.04 E12 was not satisfied, wanted more, pecked at Mom


7.05 E12 picked up a fishbone, H took it away from E12 (too big) and flew off with it

[balistar]

7.13 E13 nibbles on a furred nestover, E12 watch and pecks at E13


7.26 E13 again tries to eat some fur


then both together are nibbling on an empty catfish head carcasse

[Liz01]

Good evening @all

woow!

E12 the pin feathers are growing




And a standing E12


Pin feathers the beginnings of the contour feathers that eventually will constitute the full layer of juvenal feathers. These feathers will take several weeks to fully develop, and once they are complete the eaglets will be ready to . The first pinfeathers to emerge are the flight feathers of the wings (along the trailing or back edges of the wings) and the tail, because these are the longest contour feathers and take the most time to grow.

[Liz01]

9:45 A huge Fish by M15

[Sylvika]

Hello! Came to see the nest...
All is fine and peaceful there.
The kids sleeping and looks to me that their crops are full,
that's no wonder after THAT huge fish!
Thank you, balistar, Liz01, for your wonderful pics again.

[balistar]

Sylvika,

this was a happy day for both, especially for E13.
As far as i saw almost no bonking during the day, only early in the morning,
good and plenty of fish and in the evening both had HUGE crops.

17.49 watch that monster crop of E13


I'm so happy for him