Eagle Nest Diaries 2004—May

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This page is part of our Eagle Nest Diaries series that began in 2002 and continued in 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008. The following photos were taken on an INHF project site along the Upper Iowa River in 2004. By protecting this land, INHF members also protected a bald eagle pair's nest. The photos below show the eagle parents raising eaglets in that nest. The photos were taken with a high-powered lens by Mary Ellen Leicht. Keep checking this page as it will be updated whenever we get new information and pictures.

2004:   April Diary    May Diary,   June and July Diary

May 8-10, 2004: They grow so fast

Catch of the day
The parent eagle brings home a catch for the ever-bigger babies. Eagles can lift up to four pounds of food to bring back to the nest.

Up for a stroll
One eaglet walks around the nest. Our contact told us the eagles usually let their wings lay on the nest when they are sitting still.

Taking a Break
"The babies only seem to hold their wings up when they are moving around. The wings must be very heavy and cumbersome at this point in their development."

It's a family affair
Our source believes the eaglets are about five and half weeks old. They will have the summer to learn to fly and find their own food. Eagles don't reach sexual maturity until they are four to five years old. By that time, the eagles resemble adult birds with their white heads and light colored beaks. In the wild, bald eagles live for approximately 15 to 20 years. They can live longer. In fact, some eagles in captivity have been known to live for 50 years!

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Spreading their wings
As you can see, the eaglet's fluffy down is beginning to change into feathers. The eagles can't fly successfully until their feathers have completely grown in. First flights can be dangerous.

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Mealtime!
Our field reporter says, "Although fish was the typical meal of choice, other menu items were offered. I think I would stick with the fish."

Stretching those wings
Report from the field: "You can see the new flight feathers coming in where the baby is stretching his wings, but he is still just fuzz underneath." Black juvenile feathers begin to grow in to enable the juvenile eagle to fly. While downy feathers are excellent insulators, they are useless as air foils, and must be replaced with juvenile feathers before an eaglet can take its first flight, some 10 to 13 weeks after hatching.

Who's the biggest?
Report from the field: "You can tell from the back view of the babies, that one has more developed feathers (the back looks darker). Having more developed feathers would possibly indicate it was hatched first. It is also interesting that the smaller baby is the one with more developed feathers. Speculation is that the smaller, older baby is a male. In birds of prey, the females are generally larger than the males. Maybe that is why one baby was not able to eliminate the other during their first few weeks (as often happens).

It's hot out!
It was very warm on Sunday and you can see the babies panting from the heat. They spent a lot of time lying down in the nest with their heads hanging over the edge panting away." Some bald eagles living in southern North America actually migrate north during the hot summers.

Memorial Day Weekend, May 29-31

What do they do all day?
Some of you have wondered what the eaglets do all day. According to our observer, these eagles "mostly sleep, eat, stretch their wings, lay down and look around, or actually lay their head down on the nest or over the edge. This weekend they spent a lot of time stretching one wing clear out and then bringing it back in again. It is so cute when the one looks like it is putting the one wing around the other like they are buddies (as shown in this photo). Their wings have grown so fast it is incredible!"

Stop that fighting!
"Some of you have asked if the babies get along with each other. They spend so much time together in a little area, it is a wonder they don't drive each other crazy!

The older they have gotten, the less fighting they seem to do. Sometimes they are buddies and sometimes they pick on each other. One time, one of the babies came over and laid down length-wise on the side of the other one—almost like it was being an aggravating little pest and trying to pick a fight. But the next time they may be preening each other. Mostly though, they seem to be indifferent to each other."

Interior Designing
"More examples of what the babies do during the day - preening, rearranging sticks, and stretching out those long wings one at a time.

This picture showing one eaglet rearranging the furniture is typical. They will pick up a bunch of sticks and place them elsewhere."

Branching Out
"The adults are now taking off from a branch that goes up from the nest. This is the branch that has been used in the past for "branching" purposes and the first flight take-off. Branching is where the baby will get out on the branch and practice flapping their wings in anticipation of that first real test of flight readiness." Note: Two years ago, the babies made their first flight in July.

Preening Pals
"This picture shows one preening (running a feather through its beak) the other one. New feathers emerging from the babies (as well as adults) have a coating on the shaft of the feather. The eagle will run its beak along the shaft of each feather to peel off the coating. And there are thousands of feathers on an adult eagle. Talk about high maintenance when they are growing feathers for the first time or molting!"

It's always the younger one!
"It was fun to watch the interaction of the two babies in this picture. The baby on the left was just resting there minding its own business when the other baby came over and just had to plop down on top of the other baby. A whole nest to share and the younger baby (it is always the younger sibling that picks fights— right?) had to come over and be annoying as possible! Oh how that brings back the memories!"

Review April!