Drama as Decorah chick is rescued by parent

Posted by NewMexiKen on Apr 04, 2011; 2:15am
URL: http://bald-eagles-of-broward-county-florida.17.s1.nabble.com/LIVE-Bald-Eagle-Nest-Camera-in-Iowa-tp6067807p6237133.html

A drama just played out before our eyes. We had the Decorah Eagle Nest Camera on on the laptop in the kitchen while preparing dinner. I happened to look just as the male eagle got up from brooding the two eaglets and the remaining egg. He seemed to be cleaning stuff out of the nest, when he mistakenly picked up the older of the two chicks by its leg and tossed it to the periphery of the nest.

I immediately started capturing screen shots. (If images do not display in your e-mail, go to this web page link)

The male parent's action was entirely accidental, I'm sure. Luckily, larger branches form a sort of fence around the nest that kept the downy eaglet from falling to the ground. The male looked on helplessly as his little chick cheeped and tried unsuccessfully to climb up the wall into the nest cup.

The egg and the younger eaglet are together inside the nest cup, while the other eaglet is separated from them by the wall of the nest cup, down the deep slope to the right of this image:



Repeatedly, the chick failed in its attempts, sometimes falling back.



Finally, the female arrived to take up brooding and incubation duties, but the eaglet was immobile, exhausted and possibly feeling the effects of exposure to the cold:



At first, she seemed oblivious to the plight of the eaglet. As they are incapable of regulating their temperature at this age, the eagle chick faced certain death from hypothermia if it did not quickly return to the shelter of its mother's wings:



The female parent started nibbling on the edge of the nest cup, as if trying to clear a path, then reached out and gently rolled the chick up the incline and into the nest cup:



After warming up a bit, the eaglet begged vigorously and was fed:



Both chicks had a tug of war over one chunk of meat:



Now see the mother eagle's rescue in real time



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