|
Administrator
|
Based upon ground observer reports of the eagles' behavior, we believe that the first egg hatched on or about March 16. Counting backwards 5 weeks (35 days) establishes February 10 as the approximate day the first egg was laid. This is also borne out in retrospect, based upon suspicions of observers who reported behavior of the pair on or about that date.
Therefore we may assume that the oldest eaglet is about 45 days old. Referring to the summary of past broods, the first eaglet fledges at an average age of about 75 days (range of 62 to 86 days). Therefore we should expect its first flight around 3-4 weeks from now, with branching and helicoptering beginning about a week sooner. These statistics are derived from our limited experience at this one nest (with a different female parent) and are highly variable.
The Summary Chart may be viewed at this link:
http://www.rosyfinch.com/BaldEagleNest.html#summary
The updated Milestone Spreadsheet includes much more detailed observations over the nearly eight years we have been watching this nest:
http://www.rosyfinch.com/EagleMilestonesSheet.pdf
|
Locked
