March 2010
12 posts
Just How Big Is That Nest?
Tree climbers from Nuckols Tree Care accessed the bald eagle’s nest at the Norfolk Botanical Garden today to help band the young eaglets. All three of the nestlings were in fine shape. You can read more about the banding by biologists from the Center for Conservation Biology here.
While up at the nest the climbers were able to collect some data about the size of this nest. The nest is...
Doing Well and Growing Quickly
The chicks continue to become more mobile, moving around the nest and starting to explore the world around them. Last week they were strong enough to clamber out of the nest cup and get a look at the world around them over the rim of the nest (see the CCB blog).
Today the oldest of the chicks was able to briefly stand up on its feet. This is a sign of both improving balance and growing strength....
Eaglets Feeding
Here’s a short video of the chicks being fed late this afternoon, you’ll notice that only one of the eaglets seem very interested in the fish its mother offers. The chicks are slightly damp, but none the worse for wear from the heavy rains that fell earlier today. The adults were able to keep them brooded and warm through the worst of the rainstorm. We hope that the camera will be...
Camera Outage
The camera is temporarily off-line due to technical issues at the Norfolk Botanical Garden. Staff there are aware of the issue and working to fix it. The necessary repairs have been complicated by heavy rainfall in the area today. Service will be restored as soon as possible.
A Little Bit of Independence
The nestlings continue to grow rapidly and have molted in a new warmer down, they are starting to spend more and more time uncovered by either parent. This is normal, the larger size of the chicks helps them retain body heat, as does an increasingly efficient circulation. Their heavier down acts as great insulation. As spring progresses the temperatures are becoming more moderate as well.
...
3 tags
VDGIF and Eagle Conservation
What does the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) do to conserve eagles in Virginia? This article from Virginia Wildlife (PDF) provides a great look at some of the work VDGIF biologists do.
The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries is the state agency responsible for the conservation and management of the Commonwealth of Virginia’s wildlife and fisheries resources as...
All Three Have Hatched
As of Sunday, March 14th, all three of the bald eagle eggs at the Norfolk Botanical Garden have hatched. The second chick was seen in the early morning hours on March 13th, having hatched at some point during the night. At approximately 12:30 pm a pip was noted in the third egg. Early this morning pieces of the third eggshell were seen and shortly after 9:00am the third chick was seen being...
Signs of Hatching for Second Egg
We have seen a clear pip (initial hole at the end of the egg) in the second egg. This is an outward sign that the hatching process is moving along. This hole will be enlarged as the chick works to hatch out of the egg. The chick will continue rasping at the egg with its egg tooth until the two halves of the egg fall apart. This process may happen relatively quickly but can take days.
An Eagle Cam...
Rainy Day
The eaglet at the Norfolk Botanical garden has started to gain strength, and is now able to raise its head. despite the rain in Norfolk today the adults are keeping the chick warm and dry.
The chick hasn’t had its first meal yet. This isn’t unusual, the chick is still using the yolk it absorbed before hatching. The female has shared a few drops of water from her bill with the eaglet...
First Egg Has Hatched
After watching and waiting for a couple of days we can confirm that one of the bald eagle eggs at the Norfolk Botanical Garden has hatched. Almost 39 days since the first egg was laid biologists (and camera viewers) were able to see an empty eggshell at 1:10pm on March 11. Both adults had been quite restless while incubating throughout the day - often peering down at the eggs, letting us know...
3 tags
Still Waiting
Throughout the day we watched the nest closely hoping to catch sight of a pip (the first hole a hatchling makes in the egg). The female was quite attentive to the eggs, often raising up to peer down intently at them, perhaps indicating that she can feel or hear the chicks efforts to break through the egg. There were some intriguing views of the eggs which suggested that here might be small pips...
Inside the Eggs
The embryos inside the eggs continue the final stages of development. At this point many recognizable structures are in place and the major organ systems are largely formed. There are no highly detailed studies of the embryology of bald eagle eggs - but we can use studies from other raptors, namely American kestrels (Falco sparverius) as a rough guide to what might be happening inside the egg.
By...
