Eagle Family Report: Oh, my, my, my!
I got my first glimpse of a chick in the Eagle Family nest.
That is mom Kate touching the chick with her beak.
At the moment the eaglet is a light grey fluff ball with big eyes and a big beak.
If you go to the Arkive site (one of my favorite wildlife sites) at https://shar.es/1YXPoz
you can see an excellent closeup photo of a chick – wish I had the set up for that kind of photo!
Kate was surveying the cove when she saw an intruder.
It was another fully mature female bald eagle. One I did not recognize.
Instantly Kate was out of the nest and above the other female.
Kate stayed in the higher position, talons dangling in a threat posture.
She herded the other female out of the cove. Both eagles were screaming.
When Kate got the intruder far enough out over the main lake, she turned and bolted for the nest.
Mom mission accomplished.
to see a short slide show of the interaction, please go to https://flic.kr/p/EKGqCA
I watched, amazed, as Hershey the smallest male bald eagle on the lake set his talons and took this huge carp.
Hershey weighs about 10 pounds. The common carp weighs at least 2 pounds.
Hershey never got the fish more than 3 feet above the water.
He essentially crashed landed on the shore and flopped over on the fish.
He stood up, jumped all over the carp, and eventually left the carp on the shore.
This is the only time I have seen any eagle take a carp!
Kate and Petruchio are looking directly at each other.
He is bringing in a fish.
She is impatient and wanting to feed the family.
Not sure I would want to be the recipient of either eagle’s glare.
Suddenly Kate flung herself out of the nest. I couldn’t see a reason for her sudden leap.
I watched as she struggled against the gusting winds. Her head and body at an abnormal flight angle.
She regained the nest by jumping a limb that had fallen into the nest.
I think the falling limb had startled her badly enough for her to have momentarily left her chick(s).
Yes, I said chick(s) for it/they have hatched!
Everybody seems to be ok, whew!
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