Eagle cam

GOODNESS GRACIOUS..!!!

Those 'little' guys are getting BIG..!!  Just the other day they were the size of a baseball.!! 

No more "FUZZY-WUZZIES".  Those little balls of fur are growing real bird feathers.!! Big hooked beaks. They're as big as a small chicken.  And SO talkative.!!

lol...yes...they grow so fast. They are eating well for sure!

Interesting change... A LOT more grass in the nest recently. One or both of them have been doing some "home maintenance" 

Also, I just saw one of the eaglets stretch out a bit. Spread one of his(hers) wings.... OMG.. Big--LONG wings. Looked as long as mom's.!!  Of course, not a lot of mass,  but the 'structure' is there. I have high hopes for these guys.!!

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Just went over to the Bluff City site.  There appears to be only one eaglet in that nest.  He (she) is very gray in color and fuzzy. Looks to be several weeks younger than the Johnson City nest. No real feathers as such, yet...  Hope this little one does well too....!!

Interesting change... A LOT more grass in the nest recently. One or both of them have been doing some "home maintenance" 

Also, I just saw one of the eaglets stretch out a bit. Spread one of his(hers) wings.... OMG.. Big--LONG wings. Looked as long as mom's.!!  Of course, not a lot of mass,  but the 'structure' is there. I have high hopes for these guys.!!

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Just went over to the Bluff City site.  There appears to be only one eaglet in that nest.  He (she) is very gray in color and fuzzy. Looks to be several weeks younger than the Johnson City nest. No real feathers as such, yet...  Hope this little one does well too....!!

Yes...there have been some home improvements lately.  Also a good bit of  repair due to storms and high winds the last couple of days.  Saw both parents bringing in "fluff" and sticks.

Those babies are growing so fast! They are eating well...parents are good providers.

OMG..!!!

The eaglet twins are tearing it up.!! Jolene brings a fish... everything is cool for a few seconds. They want her to feed, but then one of them steals the whole fish. She grabs it back, then the other one takes it away. Then 23 and 24 start fussing and steal it from each other.... Finally Jolene just gives up and leaves.  The eaglets aren't really hungry, they don't really want the fish. They just don't want the other to have it -- or Jolene either.!! It's like almost any family dynamic anywhere....

It's hilarious.!!

OMG..!!!

The eaglet twins are tearing it up.!! Jolene brings a fish... everything is cool for a few seconds. They want her to feed, but then one of them steals the whole fish. She grabs it back, then the other one takes it away. Then 23 and 24 start fussing and steal it from each other.... Finally Jolene just gives up and leaves.  The eaglets aren't really hungry, they don't really want the fish. They just don't want the other to have it -- or Jolene either.!! It's like almost any family dynamic anywhere....

It's hilarious.!!

They are fun for sure!  Glad you are enjoying that nest .

LOL… They’re funny.!!  
“Mommm, ... ugly sister stole my fish.! Make her give it back.!”  Mommm, bro-boy is looking at me.! Make him stop.!” “Hey bro-boy, you want this stinky fish…why don’t you come take it.? Here you go…” (slaps brother in face with stinky fish..) scree laughs… “Mommm, she hit me.!!   And she’s doing that funny wing thing again.”
Jolene looks around, lets out a scream, then flies away.

They’re so big and they’re acting out and turning into eagles. SO strange seeing them as big as they are but not a speck of white on them yet. —- Adolescent teenagers, gotta love ‘em.!!

It takes them 5 years to look like eagles.

It takes them 5 years to look like eagles.

How long do they stay around mom and dad.??  When do they start flying.??

It takes them 5 years to look like eagles.

How long do they stay around mom and dad.??  When do they start flying.??

They "fledge"...start flying at about 12 weeks.  They will start to jump onto branches and inch away from the nest for a few says.  You will start to see a lot of "wingercize"....a few day before (flapping their wings).  some of them I have seen will some back to the nest after flight for a little while...some have just flown off. Dangerous time for young eagles when they leave...mortality rate can be high  

So.... Mom doesn't take them for a few "test flights", sort of show them the ropes.??  How do they figure out what to eat.?? How to catch a fish.?? What other animals are "food".?? 

""Now, listen up son (daughter), you can't eat sticks and rocks. Gotta go catch your own food now. Fishes are good to eat. You gotta sneak up on them though. You gotta hide in the sun and come streaking down at high speed then dip your toes in the water and grab a fish. We're not trying to go swimming here, just dip your toes in, like in a wading pool. You can see the fishes if you get the sun angle just right. Just reach in and grab one. They're free.!! And usually there's a bunch of them and pretty easy to catch. Other smaller birds can be good to eat too. Generally almost anything that is smaller than you that doesn't have big teeth or BIG talons, like another eagle or a big owl.  Squirrels are tasty. Rabbits are good too. You can even steal that house cat, you know, the one in that big yard that you fly over every day. No puppies though. Owners are real protective of their hundreds and thousands of dollars worth of puppy. They got BIG shotguns -- really dangerous chasing puppies. You gotta stay away from horses and cows and sheep, even the little ones. I know they look little from up here, but they're really NOT that little. And avoid bigger cats. They're just liable to eat YOU instead. No bears either, even the little ones. Momma bear is really protective of her cubs, and she gets REALLY mad if you chase them. Best to just stay away. Really it is.!! You can eat possums, and raccoons, mice and voles and chipmunks, even skunks. They're really stinky though. Pheasants are good. So are prairie chickens, and grouse, and ducks -- if you can catch them. Crows are fair game. They fly kinda slow too. You could bust up a flight of ducks pretty easy. Just get above them and attack from behind. Easy-peasey. Geese are a little tougher. Bigger too. Couple meals worth. But they don't fly too fast, except when they're on a trip. So, if you see 'em from up high, you can usually pick one off. One last thing. About those 'puppies' I mentioned. Out in the woods and fields you're liable to see some running around in a group. If you see one off by itself, you could probably sneak in and grab one. Gotta be real careful though. Sometimes those 'puppies' are baby coyotes or wolves and their parents are around somewhere close. Several of them will work together and YOU could end up being dinner. They're sneaky like that, and they have razor sharp teeth. Probably best if you stick to fish, for now. In the beginning, they're a lot easier to find, and it's not too dangerous, as long as you don't go deep-water diving and break your neck or a wing.  Okay, you're all set. Happy hunting, and May The Force Be With You little eagle buddy.""

 
So... Who teaches this stuff?? Who "man-splains" the tough lessons.??  (Serious question..).  I've never thought about the 'coming of age' thing for eagles. It's not like they've had 18 years modeling parental behavior like humans. Once they move out and get their own apartment, what happens.?? Do they band together (the young of the year) and help each other.?? I seriously doubt that. Too much competition. Is this an example of Darwinian selection.?? Life just becomes a crap-shoot.??  It seems like mom and dad should take them out for a couple of trial runs at the "hunter-gatherer" stage.

Come on LP..... Give me some hope here.

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OH --- BTW...

They're "flapping" their wings NOW.!! (At least one of them is - I can't really tell them apart. (I'm sorry. I guess if I spent hours at a time I could learn to identify each of them. I just know them as #23 and #24. Which is which = who knows.?)).

So 12 weeks -- They have to be getting close to that. About 9-10 weeks aren't they.??  It's getting scary.!  CRAP...  Imma gonna go now - Do some research.  Hmmm...maybe I don't want to know.??