Monday, April 26, 2010

Eagle watch

See the Web Cam!
I have been anxiously watching Mom and Dad Hornby Eagle with their latest eggs. They are due to hatch any day now, both laid within four days of each other, with one due on the 26th and the other due on the 30th. They can come within a week of those dates.

It's possible that they will not hatch, because these two eagles have been in this nest for many years and might be getting too old to have viable chicks. They are in their late twenties, maybe around 27 years of age! They have fledged at least 18 eaglets. I did just find out that their two eggs last year both hatched, however.

The dedication and diligence that they have put into taking care of these eggs has been really touching to watch, and I'm hoping that I'm going to see at least one little eaglet emerge. I've put a link under the picture to the web cam I watch. If you join the chat room, I'm there some of the time.

Right now when I look at the cam, I know these eagles well enough to tell which is Mom and which is Dad. At this moment right now, Dad is on the nest. He's got a smoother head and is smaller overall. Mom has a much shaggier head than Dad, and from some angles it's quite easy to tell who's who.

But for now, I've got my fingers crossed that the eaglets will make it. And when I see the impressive and very gentle way they take care of these eggs, I am filled with wonder and awe at the way it all works.
:-)

20 comments:

  1. How cool is this! C'mon, little guys, and make it!

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  2. Amazing. The nest is also amazing. Just imagine doing that in the top of a tree on a windy day. Wow.

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  3. Wow, I feel all windblown and chilled after watching for, um, 17 minutes. It's addicting, for sure.

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  4. I'm anxious to see what's happened at the eagle nest at the wetlands. The nest there has been seriously attacked several times so there's a big question if the eggs survived. They should know by the time I work on Friday. The eagle watchers tell me that nest has been under attack daily. There are several theories about what may be going on from a love triangle, to turf wars over prime real estate.

    I'll start watching this cam, it may be the only eaglets I get to see.

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  5. Oh Boy
    did I ever have fun watching that
    much better than holding binoculars for ever (o:
    Just looked at Loons for awhile....I like eagles better...(o:

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  6. The very best kind of reality TV. I hope all is well and hope you post the babies!

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  7. I wish them luck...ironically, I am in Florida right now awaiting my daughter to go into labor..her due date was yesterday and no baby yet either! ha

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  8. Hi DJan..very cool it is windy there. you can see the feathers ruffling in the wind:)

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  9. DJ, this one made my day bright. Let's just hope for the best.

    AL

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  10. That is awesome. Lets hope things turn out well for them.

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  11. That should be interesting to watch DJan. Eagles are nesting just a couple of miles from here, in an undisclosed location along the river. It's the first time in this area of Ohio for ages.
    ♥...Wanda

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  12. How awesome to be able to keep watch!

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  13. I marvel, too, DJan at what AWESOME parents most birds are. Having kept pigeons I learned that dad does as much as mom with sitting, feeding, tending, etc. I know MANY MANY parents who could take lessons. Thanks for sharing this. I think I'll let Pam at Nourishing Traditions know. She had a link up for baby owls. Bet she'd love this!

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  14. Been here before Djan...but some time since my last visit. Robynn (ravings) left me a comment tonight @ my blog to direct me to the Eagle Cam. She knew I would be interested. We've been watching Molly & McGee Owls in San Marcos, Calif. since the first owlett hatched. It's so fascinating to watch. I'll be back in the morning ( it's after midnight right now ) to watch the Eagles.

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  15. Ohhh, I love this, DJan. I'm going to have to hop on over to watch.

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  16. It is always fascinating to see Mother Nature in action. I will be watching too. I had an eagle cam I watched last year but came in a week after the eggs had hatched. Thanks for the link.

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  17. I love eagle cams! I helped install a puffin cam a few years back on an outer Maine island, it's such wonderful technology that bring people closer to nature than we could ever have imagined. I wanted to install one in my bird exhibit at work, but then people could be watching me too, so I decided against that ;)

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  18. I looked at the Web Cam and thought it was not working – then their feathers move! Great – what a thrill.

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  19. Just went to your Flicker page. You should post more pictures!

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  20. Pretty cool. I have a pair of Mourning Doves nesting outside my kitchen window. We get a chuckle when we see them mating...bird porn! There have been 2 sets of doves born since the beginning of spring. I'll try to post some photos of their nest.
    Thanks for the web cam link.

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