On The Nest Easter Morning

[AquaLou]

Early this Easter morning, Hope and Justice flew into the nest.  Several things happened that I was able to capture.  Check out my YouTube video which shows a couple of confrontations you might find interesting.  I was especially surprised when a parent (female I believe) challenged her incoming mate and looked very menacing for a few seconds.  And on another clip, one of the juveniles few in and with lots of wing contact and upended an adult who then flew to a bare branch above the nest and watched as the second juvenile arrived.  It was an entertaining morning.
See my YouTube video at:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jG5GwXlO8o

Lou

[NewMexiKen]

Very interesting, Lou. I have added your embedded video to today's Blog post.

Your video illustrates the difficulty we have in interpreting eagle behavior, yet the value of observing it, and in this case, capturing it on video. The chick's behavior towards the adult reminds me of the way the nearly-fledged nestlings "greeted" a parent bringing food. They would rush the adult and barely allow time for it to drop the prey before making a hasty retreat.

Great capture!!

[Trisha]

Thanks for a really interesting and amusing video, Lou. Maybe we are seeing why the eagles "separate summer vacations" are useful and necessary. I hated missing the nest visit yesterday so now I feel much better thanks to you!

I have been wondering if we might start to see aggression between the family members as the time comes for the young to get their own food and leave the nest as well as the time coming for the parents to go their separate ways for a few months.