Eaglets - learning to feed themselves next?

[Autumn Colors]

I just saw something interesting. I've noticed that the parents have been leaving parts of animals/fish in different parts of the nest now instead of all at one or two areas. A little while ago, E1 found one of the fish and held it down with its talons like the parents do and tried to pull at it. I think he got maybe one bite out of it. While this was going on, dad noticed and watched intently. Usually, he's looking around constantly, keeping an eye on everything, but he just stopped and seemed very interested in this. I wonder if they're putting the food around the nest so they all start doing this to learn how to break open the food and eat.

I also saw dad use his talon to scratch his head before. That was a new one for me. LOL

:P

Oops.... sorry: http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles

EDIT: I hear kids in the background. I want to see mom fly in carrying an Easter egg she snatched.

[Webster Green]

1. I think that's what they're doing.

Wow! The chicks are growing so fast!

http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. Wow. They are getting so big!

[sabrina 1]

3. They have such huge feet.

I love watching them topple over, face first, when they are tired.

The mom and dad are leaving them alone more often also.

[Lisa0825]

4. They have gotten so big in the last few days!!!

And they have more fluff so they don't have to be kept warm under the parents as much.

[Libby2]

5. Several times when I have

watched, I've seen children playing.

[lamp_shade]

6. I watched a nest 2 years ago. Mom and Dad continued feeding those spoiled little brats until

they were about 2 months old.

[Motown_Johnny]

7. someone is moving the camera around and playing with the zoom

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

8. Mom and Dad have also been leaving the babies home alone for periods of time.

I keep worrying that they're going to fall out of the nest!

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

9. The biggest baby is now trying to feed a smaller one! Big smiling sigh..... :)

[malaise]

10. Very cool

:D

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

11. The babies are still alone and I just heard an owl..... :(

[Autumn Colors]

12. Oh no, I missed that! How funny! (nt)

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

16. It was really sweet. They do have to learn too about becoming good parents. :)

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

13. The parents have come back yet. :(

[malaise]

14. No they've been gone for ages

I saw the young ones all looking in the same direction and suspect the parents are flying around - they have to teach them to fly. I wonder if they start bringing less food into the nest to force them to learn to fly and hunt for themselves.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

15. They seem to undeveloped to start flying yet, so my guess this is a lesson in feeding

themselves (and each other! lol!)

If we left our kids alone at that stage of development, we'd be in an awful lot of trouble.

Do you think there's an Eagle Child Protective Service nearby???

:rofl:

and :hi:

[Autumn Colors]

17. OMG

E1 just tried to nibble on E2's foot!!! He backed off immediately. Guess it didn't taste too good.

[malaise]

29. Bwaaaaaaaaaaaah hahahahha

:rofl: :hi:

[inna]

18. OMG. WTF is going on? Guys, I'm afraid this is not good.

[Autumn Colors]

19. What is all that squealing I keep hearing?

Do you have any idea what that is?

[inna]

20. my sound is completely off right now, unfortunately

but "squealing" does not sound good.

god, i hope they are ok.

[Autumn Colors]

22. I don't know

It doesn't sound like the call the parents make to one another. A while ago, E1 was putting his/her head back and I thought it was trying to answer back to whatever it was or call one of the parents back, but I don't think the sound is coming from any of the eaglets.

[ScreamingMeemie]

23. They're whining, just like any toddler does.

;)

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

25. They're hungry and now scrounging around by themselves for something to eat. They are so close to

the edge of the nest and I'm starting to experience acrophobia!

[ScreamingMeemie]

21. Nothing's going on. The parents leave them for longer periods

as they get older. There is a parent on a nearby branch. A few days ago, when the chicks looked "alone", Bob panned around so you could see the parent on the branch. These parents have never lost a chick, and raising three chicks to fledge is amazing. They've done it before. :)

[Autumn Colors]

24. Oh, I know, but I keep hearing something make this weird noise

... I just heard some big wings flapping by. I think one of the parents just flew in, but isn't in the nest.

[ScreamingMeemie]

27. There is a farm below with horses. As the eaglets have gotten

bigger, lots of times the parent is right off screen on a branch. No worries.

[inna]

26. really? cool, thanks! nt

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

28. Are you sure Mom and Dad aren't at a local casino betting away the nest? On a serious note,

I wish Bob would pan to one of the parents again. I'd feel a lot better. :)

[ScreamingMeemie]

30. The panning camera has a bunch of gook on the lens, per one of the chatroom

mods. Bob (or assistant)did say that the parents are right nearby. :) I got that from the chat room.

My friends and family are about to have me committed for having this cam on in the background all day. It's getting worse than Panda Cam.

[inna]

31. who's Bob?

[ScreamingMeemie]

32. Bob is the man who made the cam possible. He's the one who pans

in and out. He began the Raptor Resource project on this nest. There is a great PBS documentary on this nest and this pair of birds. He's been watching them for a few years now.

[inna]

33. very cool, thanks. nt

[ScreamingMeemie]

34. You can hear the parents talking right now.

:)

[Autumn Colors]

36. I have headphones on

and jumped! haha

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

37. That was not only cool, but reassuring for....me!!!!

[Autumn Colors]

35. I hear the parents

Either one or both of them making lots of noise now.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

38. Finally, one of them just returned. I was on another window and I heard the swooping sound

of the wings. :)

[Autumn Colors]

39. Not sure I want to know what dinner is....

Looks like it's been there a while, though.

EDIT: Did she just leave and take dinner with her???

[Autumn Colors]

40. Did mom just give them a hint?

She pulled an animal up from the main pile of food, ripped off some fur and flew away with it...

OK, kids... here's where most of the food is ... let's see if you can help yourselves.

[inna]

41. omg! tough love, or what??

:rofl:

personally, i think they're way too young, but what do i know! especially, eagle-wise! :D

[Autumn Colors]

42. me neither

Have no clue about eagles except what I've seen on this cam.

[malaise]

43. It's a great education

I hope we're around when they take their first flight

[tnlefty]

44. I've been away from home all day and for the second time in

roughly 30 mins. both parents are on the nest. Earlier one parent was feeding 2 eaglets, and one parent was feeding the third and him/herself.

From what I read, they leave the carrion in the nest for later, when they're trying to encourage the fledglings to fly. They basically starve them out of the nest, but will help them get the hang of things, and will feed them if they must for a couple of weeks after they're forced to fly at around 12 wks.

My son and I saw a bald eagle Friday afternoon, and it's pretty rare around here. It hit a ditch by a busy highway, obviously after something, but we didn't see it fly back up so we don't know what it was trying to catch in the ditch.

Oh, and as long as they use those talons to scratch their heads and not mine, I'm all cool with it!:rofl:

edit: fixed typo, and I hope there aren't any others....