Hello from Illinois

[NewMexiKen]

It's great reading all your posts. It appears that the eaglets are following their instincts and are learning to feed and fend for themselves. It will be interesting (and a contribution to the fund of knowledge about urban Bald Eagles) to try to pinpoint several milestones: the day that adults are last observed bringing food to the nest, the last time the eaglets are seen returning to the nest at night, and the final sighting of adult and young eagles at or near the nest tree. The adults may depart earlier or later than the young, though I have read that they young may tend to hang around after the parents disappear. Yet, I believe that the young birds are known to wander farther north than the adults. What we learn will be specific to this nest, and may differ from what is known about eagles nesting further to the north and south.

Computer access has been a bit of a problem, but I think all is finally OK. I updated my Blog this morning, and have embedded Mike Fossler's great slide show at the top of the page.

Enjoying the change in seasons-- it is so different to see people out in short sleeves when the temperature climbs to 55 degrees!

I apologize for the calls that have gone unanswered and my tardy attention to the many e-mails (interspersed with spam that is now missing the filters in my laptop). Many people want to know what they can do to promote and assure that the Pembroke Pines eagle sanctuary becomes a reality. The most important thing will be to support Mayor Ortis's commitment to preservation. While funds may be scarce or even unavailable, he wishes to devote any available resources to the project. As a remote member of the Mayor's steering committee, I will try to keep abreast of events and issues, and keep everyone informed.

Up here, we are hearing about the big fire in the Everglades that closed down Alligator Alley. The very worst thing that could happen to our local eagle habitat would be to see it evaporate in flames. Fire danger must be a primary concern, and hopefully something will be done to mitigate the threat of fire to the primary nest tree as well as other large Australian Pines that serve as roosting sites and potential secondary nest locations. If they are destroyed, the only way to keep the eagles in Pembroke Pines would be to construct an artificial nesting platform.  

Be sure to visit the Hancock Wildlife Channel Eagle Nest Discussion group. When I get a chance, I will try to upload photos showing the development of the chicks from the day that Hope first poked her head above the nest rim, to my final views of them flying freely. So many of you have great photos to share with other eagle watchers from all over North America. It is interesting to see how the Florida breeding season is so far ahead of the others!

Best wishes to all!

[Trisha]

Hi Ken...it's good to hear from you! I'm glad you are able to keep up with things through the site. We'll try to get the milestones tied down...I wonder if #1 has occurred? I haven't seen nest feeding or eating in a while, but we need to talk to everyone that has been by the nest lately for their input.

The fires are a worry, of course. We have been spared the odor and dingy skies due to a really strong east wind that has been around as long as the fire. I'm not sure how much longer it is forecast to remain.
I talked to Al this morning at the nest and offered to help him in any way I can with the steps to protect our nest tree from fire danger.

Warmest regards to you and Mary Lou.

[NewMexiKen]

Barb Walker wrote to say that she was under the impression from her reading that the young eagles leave first followed by the adults. "Please let me know if you find out any more about that in case I am incorrect.  At PI950, the nest on the Walmart property the adults are still there but the young seem to be gone.  We have also seen nests with two eaglets fledge with one adult and one young going first and then one adult and the remaining young leave a little later.  This was with a young eagle which was reluctant to go."

Thanks for the info, Barb. I probably remembered wrong. It seems logical that the parents would stay while there are chicks present. Also, maybe one chick was more closely attached to one adult in the second case you mentioned.  Interestingly, after these chicks fledged, several times we saw one chick return to the nest with one adult bringing food. The other came from a different direction, suggesting that the first may have accompanied the parent on a hunting/fishing foray. Let's see what happens. That's the beauty of having such a dedicated group recording their observations on the FORUM.

Ken