June 25: Both Eaglets picking bones in nest

[NewMexiKen]

I watched the nest for about 3/4 hour beginning before 8:00 AM. I thought I had found only one juvenile roosting on the nest support branch. It appeared to be the female of the two. She called out frequently and sometimes the second eaglet answered, at first seeming to be from nearby but out of sight.



However, my photos show that the male eaglet was hidden right next to her. The tip of his bill and his back are visible:  



Suddenly At about 8:28 both started to call excitedly. There was a flurry of wings above the nest for only a few seconds. Although I did not see or hear an adult I suspected that a very quick prey drop had occurred. The excitement  appeared to displace the female from her roosting spot. The female eaglet flew down from the roost, which was just above the nest, down to the nest and begin tearing at and eating a prey item.





It is possible that in the flurry of activity just during those moments that an adult had dropped prey in the nest. However I never saw or heard the adult and the only calls I heard were the excited calls of the eaglets. Judging by the paltry meal of mostly bones, a food drop probably did not happen at all.

The male eaglet continued roosting above while the female ate:



After about 3-4 minutes female eaglet then flew up and again roosted right next to the darker-plumage male.  



Almost immediately the male flew down to the nest and seemed to be eating for a minute or two.



The female then flew down and the male moved to the far right of the nest and then disappeared. Not sure whether the male flew out and away to the rear of the nest or simply moved behind the nest.



Then at about 8:40 I heard an adult call briefly and the female immature flew off to the south east from the nest. As I was departing at 8:43, a large cottonmouth moccasin appeared on the sidewalk right in front of the nest and I got pictures of that.