Decorah, IA - Bald Eagle Cam: Watch the babies! #2

[Reality Orlando]

I see one front and center and two heads in the back....one on each side. Took a while...it did look like only one in the back when I first looked as well.

 

[Reannan]

Whew! I was getting worried too! I see all three now also. They are still cute, but they are becoming regal like their parents!

 

[Reality Orlando]

That nest is getting awful small for those three and they still have a while before they can fly, no? I think I read 11-12 weeks so Sassy should be ready somewhere between June 18-25? I bet we'll all be glued to our screens then cheering him on!

 

[waltzingmatilda]

I was worried I missed something but now I see all 3. They have grown sooo much since I checked in last. Thanks much for the updates!!!

wm

 

[Adrienne37]

It's just plain unbelievable how much they've grown.

 

[Sterling]

Got to see some nest hopping today! It was pretty cute. I can't believe how big they are. I read in chat yesterday that they are about 6lbs and have 3ft wing spans. My home computer is still out of service, so I check on them first thing in the morning and before I leave work. I miss not being able to watch them on the weekends. Here's a pic of E1 (according to chat log)

 

[Sterling]

Sorry, my picture uploads are failing. I had a great one of the entire family (all 5) having dinner.

 

[Noddy]

Wow they are big. I'm glad they are getting sunny weather. I feel proud to have seen them hatch and get big. Thanks Sterling for the info about their weight and wingspan.

 

[Adrienne37]

Has anyone watched this video before? If not, please take a moment to because I'm sure that all of you will feel just like I do at the moment, just amazed, that's all I can say.

http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/dpp/news/local/pinellas/baby-eagle-first-flight-040511

An amazing collection of pictures of this eagle family.

http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/gallery/photos/eagle-family-photos-040511

 

[Reality Orlando]

Has anyone watched this video before? If not, please take a moment to because I'm sure that all of you will feel just like I do at the moment, just amazed, that's all I can say.

http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/dpp/news/local/pinellas/baby-eagle-first-flight-040511

An amazing collection of pictures of this eagle family.

http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/gallery/photos/eagle-family-photos-040511

I loved that video...thank you so much for sharing!

 

[Reannan]

One of the eaglets just flapped his wings and "hopped/flew" over his sibling in the nest!!! The other sibling looked at him as if to say "What are you doing???" I don't think they are going to be in that nest much longer. Gosh, they are beautiful!!!!

 

[lorann]

Mama and Papa still are keeping a close watch on this nest. I was just watching, heard all kinds of noise from Mama and Papa was sitting on the nest, I think they were alert that something tried to invade - owl? Kids seemed unaware of any danger and kept on sleeping. I will be glad when the sun comes up.

I laugh when I watch them flap their wings and jump/fly around the nest - sort of like when my kids when little would say "watch this".

 

[Adrienne37]

Hey guys!!!

RRP put this on their FB page which I thought you all would like to see...

RaptorResource Mod
Regarding "when they fledge". They are due to fledge last week in June, or first week in July. First, they will first begin "branching", which means going from the nest to branches, then back to the nest, which we will try to capture on the PTZ camera as much as possible. Once they take their maiden flights, they will stay lower to the ground for 3 days or up to a week, on a fence, bridge, etc., which means they will totally be out of camera view then. We will try to get photos uploaded here during that time. After that, they usually make it back to the nest off and on, and the cameras will still be on during all this. The cameras will most likely be turned off about July 15th. Mom and Dad will still help feed them most likely through August, whether they are on the ground, perched elsewhere, or if they come back and forth to the nest.

 

[Blue_Dolphin308]

Cam down?!!?

 

[Reality Orlando]

Yes, I was on the chat earlier and they said they thought it had something to do with Ustream.

 

[waltzingmatilda]

The eaglets are so big that I can no longer tell them apart. They are more balanced on their talons and feeding themselves. Papa just brought breakfast fish and was feeding one eaglet while another had a large chunk that he was picking away on then the third eaglet began flapping his wings, lifted up a few inches and plopped down in the middle of the nest. Then he snagged a piece of fish and retreated to his area of the nest. In the meantime, Papa took the fish away from eaglet 2 who in turn tried to snatch it back and Papa and #2 ended up in a short game of fish tug-of-war, LOL! Papa Won!!! teehee..

I sure will miss watching them when they fly the nest!

wm

 

[waltzingmatilda]

Ha! I have never participated in chat on the rr site, yet I just received a RED message saying I have been 'Kicked' for sending too many massages per minute. Whasup wit dat?

wm

 

[gaia227]

Aw, I love it so many people are invested in this Eagle family! I was going to start a new post about this very same thing but upon doing a search saw it already existed and is very popular! I had not heard of, or thought about, bird cams until a couple weeks ago when I was in Riverside Park (huge park which runs along the West side of Manhattan along the Hudson River) where there is a Red Tailed Hawks nest with babies and started talking to a woman who told me about the Iowa Eagle cam. I go out to see the baby hawks often with my binoculars and watch them. The first baby flew today for the first time! I watched the clutch last year from the time the eggs were laid until the babies were practicing flying until their mother brought them a rat for dinner which had eaten poison and all of the babies died. I was devestated. The city has started releasing supplemental food into the park for the mother to catch this year and it seems to be working.

So now I am have become mildly obsessed with watching several different bird cams.

One of them is a Red-Tailed Hawk bird cam of a nest at NYU. The mother built her nest right outside a window so they set up a camera documenting the lives of Violet and Pip.
http://www.nyu.edu/sustainability/hawks/

The Aberdeen Red Kites in UK. I like this one because Red Kites almost went extinct and these babies are one of only a few that have been born in the last 150yrs. It is a pretty active nest. Currently, the father just brought a rabbit to the nest and is feeding the babies. They hatched on May 10th.
http://www.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/projects/details/274636-aberdeen-red-kites

Barn Owl nest in UK - her chicks just hatched and they are so tiny.
http://www.heliganwild.com/webcams

This is a really helpful website containing an extensive list of bird cams around the world and links to the sites.
http://mysite.verizon.net/vdziadosz/

 

[gaia227]

This another really good Eagle nest cam from Canada. They stream live. They also have archives you can view. They have on camera dramatic rescue of one of the chicks who got her leg caught in piece of fishing line on the outside edge of the nest and she was stuck - she couldn't get back into the nest and was not being fed. People watching the cam saw this and banded together, making enough donations that officials were able to rent a crane, mats and sent someone up to cut her free and give her a nudge back into the nest. She is now doing just fine. It is quite touching.
http://www.hancockwildlife.org/index.php?topic=raptors_victoria1

 

[waltzingmatilda]

Thank you for the links gaia!!! I love the owls...beautiful!

I couldn't see lil Pip in the NYU nest but I'll check again. It is funny to see that big nest with the city in the background!!

I am sad to hear about your hawks dying last year. I found a dead pelican in the marshgrass in the canal behind my house yesterday and my DD and I were almost in tears.

wm