Both eaglets OK, and a Merlin near nest - Sunday April 3

[NewMexiKen]

Mary Lou and I made a brief welfare check on the eagle nest at about 8:10 AM before going grocery shopping. We found the younger eaglet (P Piney 8) perched on a branch above the nest to the left. At first we could not find the older sibling (P Piney 7), but after about 15 minutes, Mary Lou spotted her  on top of a tree just east of the nest. Adults were not in sight during our 30 minutes of  observation. Also had a Merlin perched about 100 feet high in a tree southwest of the nest.

P Piney 8 perched to left in main branch above nest:



P Piney 7 shows more white underneath than the younger sibling:



This small falcon is a Merlin, probably a dark-plumaged individual of the Tiaga race: