Archive through May 20, 2003
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TV ClubHouse: Archive: 2003 May: Nature Cams (Formerly Eagle Cams) (ARCHIVES): Archive through May 20, 2003

Mygetaway

Monday, May 19, 2003 - 02:39 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Juju has been playing host to all our pics of the Eagles, but maybe we should start a new folder for them.

The eggs are due to hatch at any time, and we are all (im)patiently waiting..LOL

Here is a link to the site for anyone who hasn't been following the story...

Live Eagle Cam Watch

Mygetaway

Monday, May 19, 2003 - 02:47 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Here's a mini-update..


123

4

Halfunit

Monday, May 19, 2003 - 02:52 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
....and more updates:

e1 e2 e3

Crossfire

Monday, May 19, 2003 - 02:52 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Is it just me, or does that nest need an Abe the sock for us to track?

Mygetaway

Monday, May 19, 2003 - 02:58 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Do you guys think that the thread title is ok?
It could have been "Are they there yet?", but I was thinking of us all here waiting for those little eaglets, and it reminded me of all those long rides in the back seat as a kid..LOL.. :)
Thanks for the pics Half..

Halfunit

Monday, May 19, 2003 - 03:24 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
MGA - I think the title is just fine, and you are more than welcome for the pics - my pleasure!

I've actually become addicted to watching Star - I don't want to miss the big moment!! I am hoping we are a tad bit off on our due date and that the eggs will hatch. The way she's been acting today, I really thought today was the day.

(Or it's wishful hoping on my part that she's been acting differently today!)

Mware

Monday, May 19, 2003 - 03:27 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
...defers to Halfunit's expertise on what an eagle ready to deliver behaves like...

Kristylovesbb

Monday, May 19, 2003 - 03:33 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
WOW thanks for the link this is GREAT!!!!!

Halfunit

Monday, May 19, 2003 - 03:36 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
...reminds Mware that eagles don't deliver, they hatch! LOL, when you've been watching this bird as much as some of us, you really pick up on unusual behavior... I think....

Mygetaway

Monday, May 19, 2003 - 03:40 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Here is the link to the site that Reiki posted. It's a message board about the eagles, lots of info there..

The Kent Eagle Forum

Lucy

Monday, May 19, 2003 - 03:47 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
MGA, Thanks for setting up this thread, and thanks to Juju for letting us set up camp in her folder until now. I love watching Star!! DH thinks it's like watching paint dry.

Tabbyking

Monday, May 19, 2003 - 03:48 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
i was thinking 'the eagle has landed'! how exciting these pictures are. i can't wait til they hatch.

Halfunit

Monday, May 19, 2003 - 04:01 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Lunch for two?


e

Hippyt

Monday, May 19, 2003 - 04:06 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
MGA,I don't know why none of us thought to do this earlier,lol. Half the board are watching the eagles. Thanks for starting this thread!

Halfunit

Monday, May 19, 2003 - 04:11 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
lol Hippy - I think it's reality filler for post-Survivor / pre-The Amazing Race addicts....

Mygetaway

Monday, May 19, 2003 - 04:26 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Thanks Lucy and Hippy, and I don't know why we didn't start one sooner either..LOL. I felt bad for taking up Juju's folder. I never would have known about them if it wasn't for her and the rest of you. I'm like everybody else, and am addicted now. I really hope we get to see some eaglets soon.

Mygetaway

Monday, May 19, 2003 - 04:31 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Now we just need someone with CSI/etc type hi-tech computer skills to enhance and enlarge the eggs so we can look at every inch of them under a microscope for cracks!

Hippyt

Monday, May 19, 2003 - 05:30 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Lol,I thought it was funny the other day when somebody said they are like watching a soap opera.

Egbok

Monday, May 19, 2003 - 05:59 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Ohhh, this is too cool. I love nature and the outdoors and this is so amazing to me. The eagles are gorgeous. Thanks so much for starting this thread MGA and Juju too!

Juju2bigdog

Monday, May 19, 2003 - 06:05 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
And just to get the timeline right, here seems to be the first screencap I took this season, when I was so thrilled to see ONE egg:

firstegg

Juju2bigdog

Monday, May 19, 2003 - 07:01 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Okay, so ... reconstructing the timeline from Hippyt's folder. It would appear that sometime around early April (when I arrived back home from my travels), I advised her about the eaglecam. The archives of my member folder do not go back that far, but on April 8, 2003, I placed an eaglecam alert in Hippyt's folder. I am guessing that is the first time I actually saw an eagle in the nest this season. On April 9, 2003, I put this picture in Hippyt's folder and commented that it looked for all the world like a bird sitting on an egg:

April9


In a picture 4 minutes later, I demonstrate to Hippyt that there is no egg in the nest, but there is a second eagle, presumably the male, in the tree nearby

April9also


And then on April 11, 2003 at 6:10 p.m., I put the following message in Hippyt's folder:

"Eaglecam!!! EGG!!! Told ya so! See my member folder." I can presume I had a photo of the first sighting of the egg in my folder. Looks like I did not save that photo but saved one from two days later.

Halfunit

Monday, May 19, 2003 - 07:19 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Egg Laying: 3 - 6 days
The female lays 1 - 3 eggs--most often 2. She doesn't usually lay one egg each day, so it usually takes her 3 - 6 days to complete her clutch. Each egg weighs roughly 110 - 130 grams. Adult females weigh about 4.6 - 6.4 kilograms.

Incubating Eggs: 35 days
As soon as the first egg is laid, the female and the male take turns incubating. Both male and female eagles form a brood patch--a bare spot on their tummy where they can press their hot skin directly against the eggs or chicks to keep them warm. The female's brood patch is a little bigger and more feather-free than the male's. And the female incubates the eggs more often than the male does. One study showed that the female was responsible for 72% of the incubation. (How much was the male responsible for?) Eagles sit on their eggs most of the time--one study showed that the eggs were incubated 98% of the time! But when the temperature is warm and there is little wind, the parents incubate less often. Sometimes when the parents leave the eggs, they cover them with feathers and nesting materials. Scientists don't know for sure whether they do this to keep the eggs warm or to hide the eggs so predators don't steal them.

Eagles have VERY sharp claws on their powerful talons. When the incubating parent is moving about the nest, it often clenches its talons so the sharp claws can't hurt the eggs or babies by accident. The parents are also very careful to step around the eggs to avoid crushing them. Parents probably turn the eggs at least once a day, but scientists aren't sure how often this happens or which parent does it. Incubating lasts about 35 days.

Taking Care of Nestlings: 8 - 14 weeks
Baby eagles probably don't communicate with one another in their eggs. The first egg to be laid is the first egg to hatch. It can take a whole day for the baby to work its way out of the egg--the parents probably don't help the babies get out. And once the babies hatch, the parents don't get rid of the egg shells. The broken shells sit at the bottom of the nest sometimes for a long time before getting crushed so small that they aren't noticeable anymore.

Some scientists did a study keeping track of all the time that the parent eagles spent at the nest. Once the babies hatched, the female was present at the nest about 90% of the time. The male was present about 50% of the time. This adds up to more than 100% because sometimes BOTH parents are present at the nest. During the study, at least one of the parents was at the nest almost all the time.

When the weather is hot and sunny, one or both of the parents shade the babies. During the first four weeks after hatching, one of the parents (usually the female) broods the babies to keep them warm almost all the time, especially when the weather is cool. At this time, females brood about 65% of the time and males about 35%.

In one study, the parents brought food to the nest 1 - 8 times per day. The average was about 4 times a day. During the first two weeks, the male provides most of the food. After 3 or 4 weeks, the female provides as much food as the male, and by the late nesting period, the female provides most of the food.

As the babies eat, poop, and grow, the nest starts getting dirty. The babies usually lean over the edge of the nest to poop, but once in a while they miss! And food particles remain in the nest after each feeding. After a while, these build up to a goopy, stinky mess. Eagles simply do not have any idea about cleaning their nest. Instead, they add fresh leaves and other plant parts to cover up the mess. (This is a lot like sweeping dirt under the rug or hiding dirty clothes under your bed!)

The young practice flapping for weeks before their first flight. Sometimes one of them falls from the nest. If this happens, it can't usually get back into the nest. But the parents usually feed it on the ground. Sometimes when the babies remain in the nest for 11 or 12 weeks, the parents seem to encourage the babies to fledge by flying around the nest carrying food.

Taking Care of Fledglings: 4 - 6 weeks
Once the young fledge from the nest, they may associate with their parents for 6 weeks, and both of the parents continue to feed them during this time. The babies watch their parents fish, but don't learn how to catch live fish themselves for a long time. The first fish they "catch" are carcasses on shorelines, and then they move up to picking up dead fish floating on the water. Fortunately, their parents fed them well, so most fledgling eagles weigh as much as or more than their parents when they fledge.

So, counting 35 days from April 11th / April 13th would have been this past weekend. I sure hope we see some cracks in the next few days!!

Egbok

Monday, May 19, 2003 - 10:54 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Juju, thanks for the timeline update, so now I've got a better idea of where the Eagles are in their nesting. And Half, thank you so much for the detailed report on what to expect! I am totally hooked (I know, I know...I lead a dreary life - LOL!) and I'll be checking in on the Eagles every morning before I leave for work.

Weenerlobo

Tuesday, May 20, 2003 - 08:07 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Whoa, this is the coolest thing. I had no idea this was even around. WOW! And look at the view too! Thanks for creating this thread.

Mygetaway

Tuesday, May 20, 2003 - 08:40 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Thanks for the info Half.
Mom and Dad are having a conference over on the tree branch right now. I was planning on going back to bed for awhile, but I've been watching them since 7am..