Watching today (Monday 4-6, 4:30-7:35)

[Jill W]

I did not see any eagles from 4:30 to 5:30.  Trisha arrived, and we saw two adults and heard one or more chicks calling out when the adults flew to and from the nest.
I'm going to let Trisha tell you more about what happened, as she writes better and more detailed reports.
Carolyn and I did not see any eagles after Trisha left.
Jill

[Trisha]

Thanks Jill...you are too kind...your reports are just the same as mine! I really wasn't paying as close attention as I usually do because I just stopped by for a quick check to see you and ask if you had seen either of the young. I guess we can both say we didn't see any young eagles....but with the winds and trying so hard to spot one of the young eagles I think we saw about everything else....wood storks, various ibis and herons, ospreys, vultures, hawks, etc. Carolyn also stopped buy to help look out for the fledglings.

I did wind up staying longer than I had planned (don't we all), because, as you said, the 2 adults came in...a few minutes apart, I think. The first landed on the nest with a white bird and looked around.....especially to the south and west...and then ate. A chick was clearly vocalizing loudly in the nest vicinity when it landed. The other adult wound up in the nest briefly also and Jill said it had been perched above the nest and flew down. So both adults were on the nest together for a short time. When 1 adult flew west I tried to keep it in my sight as it went through the trees and landed in the dead stand. I heard the same vocalization of a young eagle that I had heard when the adults flew to the nest previously, but not as loud. With so much wind it was hard to tell if it was 1 or 2 chicks and where the sound was coming from...but definitely in the wooded area somewhat west and south of the nest tree. The second adult flew out a few minutes later and flew to the top of the dead tree right beside its mate. They both were facing south.

Jill thought that the adult that left the nest first might have been carrying food down to the dead stand.  A watcher there said he didn't see food but that the adult was cleaning what looked to be white stuff (feathers?) from its talons. I was unable to see if anything was dropped on the flight from the nest. If things remain status quo through tomorrow we might be able to get more info by having someone position themselves in the woods to try to get a better idea of the interaction between the young and parents...as if any feeding is going on out of the nest.

Jill was telling me about a really interesting interaction yesterday between the small chick and an adult who came to the nest without food. I hope she will post the description as I'd like to know what it means in "eagle speak."

I hope soon the young will return to the nest. I have noticed that when the parents head to the nest it is with a lot of speed...maybe the chicks need a little more practice to get into such a "branchy" location. It might be harder to get in there than the bald eagle nests that I have seen on the internet that consist of fewer sticks placed on a large rock on top of a cliff. But who knows...maybe those fledglings might not agree!

I'll be back at the nest tomorrow morning for my usual shift and hope to see the fledglings.

[Jill W]

Great report, Trisha!  And, thanks for doing it.

The incident that occurred yesterday afternoon was that an adult flew to the nest without food.  It landed and then Justice immediately grabbed one of its feet.  The adult tried to pull its foot away many times, but Justice would not let go.  Then, there was a real physical squabble between the two, with some screaming by both for a few seconds before the adult flew away.
Less than 10 minutes later, an adult flew to the nest with a big meal.  I don't know if it was the same adult or not.  Justice squealed and carried on as if he had not been fed in days.  It seemed very strange since watchers reported that he had been fed a LOT that day, and eventually had lost interest in eating more.  Maybe that meal was one of his favorite foods and the other stuff offered that day tasted like spinach does to some of our kids.
Jill

[Trisha]

Jill...that is a really great description of what we talked about at the nest. I've never seen anything like that...maybe someone else has seen similar interaction and will add to the post. I wonder if it had anything to do with Hope's fledge or just eagle behavior in general.