Eagles at NCTC
The NCTC eagles first showed up during the winter of 2002-03. They started working on a nest at that time, but only managed to gather a few sticks. They returned to the nest in the fall of 2003, began working on the nest in earnest. They had a large nest built by January of 2004. They laid the first egg on Valentine's Day and two eaglets were hatched by the first day of spring. Both eaglets survived and fledged in early June.
The adults returned in November of 2004. They spent two months making repairs to the nest and exhibiting breeding behavior. The first egg was laid on February 15, 2005, and one eaglet hatched in late March. It survived and fledged in mid-June.
The eagles are back for their third year. They arrived in November of 2005 and began nest repairs and breeding behavior. The first egg was laid on February 9, 2006. It hatched on March 18th.
In September of 2005 NCTC installed a small video camera about 10 feet above the eagle nest allowing us a “birds-eye” view inside the nest. A local tree service company was hired to do the installation. They used their 75-foot bucket truck, but had to climb an additional 10 feet to reach the nest. The nest is about 85 feet high in a large sycamore tree, and is about 4 feet across and 2 feet deep, and probably weighs a few hundred pounds. It is made of branches and large sticks with a softer grass and leaf lining. Both eagles spend a lot of time repairing and keeping the nest strong and sturdy.
The first egg was laid early morning on Thursday, February 9th --thanks to all you eagle watchers for catching the big moment. The second egg was laid on Feb 11th, during our snow storm. We spied a third egg in the nest on Thursday morning, Feb 16th. The female laid the egg sometime late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning--a full 4 days after laying egg #2. This is a bit unusual, and we will have to keep a close eye to see if all three eggs hatch, and if they do, how the smallest eagle fares against his siblings. He will be smaller than eaglets 1 and 2.
The first eaglet emerged on March 18th, the second on March 21st and finally, on March 23rd, the third eaglet came out of its shell! The original three eagle eggs can been seen hereSpring 2007 Update
The eagles again produced three eggs this winter. Unfortunately, all three eggs were not viable, and they abandoned them after more than 40 days of incubation. We think cold and wet weather in February and March was the cause of the problem this year.
As of April 4, 2007, the eagle pair continues to visit the nest, and there has been mating activity. We are hoping additional eggs may be laid, but the odds of this are about 50/50. Stay tuned.
Final 2007 Update
The eagles were not successful this year, although they continued to visit the nest. In the Fall of 2007 there was a great deal of activity as the birds would visit the nest and work on building it up further.
There was one instance in the Fall where another adult visited the nest, and at least one immature bald eagle was present in the area for a few days.
Winter 2008 Update #1
The eagles maintained their activity at the nest and after several weeks of mating activity, the first egg was laid over the weekend on February 2nd or 3rd. Unfortunately the cam was down that weekend, and when it came back up there was the first egg. The evening of February 6th, another egg was laid. There is a play-by-play description of the activities that evening on the NCTC Eagle Cam Daily Blog. Another egg was seen on the morning of February 10, making this a clutch of three eggs. The weather has been varied throughout this period, and there were several warm days where the eagles both left the nest and the eggs for a short period of time. There has also been a series of rain and ice events that have tested the pair's ability to keep the eggs warm and dry.
Spring 2008 Update #1 - March 24, 2008.
Well we have had an extremely successful hatch, with three healthy young eaglets growing rapidly. The first eaglet was hatched in the wee hours of March 13th. The second eaglet was hatched on March 14th and the third on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17th.
We’re now into the growth stage where the eaglets are being fed every few hours. These eagles will mostly subsist on fish, but the adults will bring in whatever they come across. Dam number 4, right upstream from the nest has lots of spawning suckers and walleye congregating right now offering tremendous fishing for the eagles. Watch for a fresh fish delivery anytime on the live cam. As to other food, today there are the remains of a ground hog in the nest.
Spring Update #2 - May 8, 2008
Our three eaglets are rapidly approaching the time where they will fledge from the nest. We're estimating that will take place in early June.
Their feathers continue to grow in, and when they open their wings it is amazing to see how big they are after a couple of months of growth. The adults continue to bring lots of fish, and are still careful to ensure all three eagles get their fill of food.
Both adults have been leaving the area of the nest more often now, as the threat of predators is not really an issue considering the size of the young eagles, although one is often seen perched above the nest.
Keep watching.
Here’s some info from Bent’s Life Histories of Familiar American Birds:
Although often two, sometimes three, eaglets are hatched, the larger number is seldom raised to maturity, and often only one eaglet lives to grow up. The young hatch at intervals of a few days and the first one hatched, often the female, is larger and stronger than the other. The larger eaglet often abuses the smaller one and gets more than its share of the food, until the poor little one succumbs and dies of weakness and exposure. Dr. Herrick (1932) writes:Two eaglets were hatched in that season on about April 24 and 28, and the younger bird was handicapped not only on account of its lesser age, but from the tempestuous weather and the shower of abuse it daily received from its older companion. The mother eagle constantly disregarded the needs of its puny infant, but bestowed every attention on her more vociferous offspring. Thus, on May 18, when the eagle brought in a large fish, the older nestling got 76 pieces, but the younger only 2, and a bad drubbing from his nest-mate in the bargain. On the following day rain and hail beat so relentlessly on the great nest that this much abused eaglet, then hardly able to crawl beneath the sheltering wings of its mother, finally succumbed and was trampled into the great mass of withered grass that lined its bed. It should be noticed that this harsh treatment of the younger bird had often occurred when the parent was away and when there was no contest over the food.
Both parents bring food to the nest and both assist in feeding the young. Dr. Herrick (1929) describes the process as follows:
The female eagle has been brooding her callow young, which are now in white down and about two weeks old. She deliberately rises, walks over to the carcass of a large fish, stands on it and begins tearing off small pieces of the flesh and passing them to the three eaglets, which line up before her.
Twenty minutes later the male drops on the eyrie and immediately joins his mate in the work of satisfying the appetites of their hungry brood. The old eagles bend to their task and pass up bits of food at the rate of about five to the minute. At least the passes are at this rate, but the proffered food is not always taken. It may indeed go the rounds, to be eaten finally by one of the old birds.When the eaglets are older and strong enough to tear up their own food, they are taught to do so. A family feast, presided over by the mother eagle, who has just arrived with a fish, is thus described by the same observer (1929):
Her young, all aquiver with excitement, continue to crouch and squeal, with their wings half spread, but they seldom venture to advance. The old bird now seizes her quarry, which appears to be a lake catfish of about four pounds in weight, and with one foot drags it to the center of the nest.
Standing on it there, she begins ripping it up without further ceremony. With swift thrusts of her bill she detaches large pieces of the white flesh and, taking a glance around at each upward stroke, swallows them in rapid succession. Then to the nearest bird, which by this time has edged up to its parent, she passes several pieces from bill to bill, and goes to work again on her own account.
When eaglet number two has been served in the same fashion, she moves a few steps away; whereupon number one seizes the carcass and, spreading over it, claims it as his own. Squealing, with head down, but for some moments without touching a morsel, he warns all intruders away. Meanwhile the other eaglet, drawing nearer, with head extended, watches the feeding bird and, seldom venturing to interfere, patiently awaits its turn.We have noticed that this pair of adults is very adept at getting all three eaglets fed. They will first focus on the oldest eaglet, and they will feed it until it is gorged and literally cannot move. Then they move on to the middle one with the same technique. The third, youngest eaglet then gets fed, free from the abuse of its older siblings.
It is a rare thing for three eaglets to fledge, so these birds still have a challenging few months facing them.
More soon.
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