Day 28 for the Berry College Bald Eagle Chick. It looks like the feet are about full size now. These big feet are going to help the chick stand and then learn how to stand on food and tear pieces off in order to self feed. Compare the size of the chick's feet to the size of the adult's feet:
The next thing to become full size is the beak, which will also help the chick to self feed. It's still not as big as the adult's beak, but it's getting there:
You can also see pin feathers coming out in various places, looking like polka dots on the chick. As a pin feather comes in, it pushes the thermal down out, which then wears off. Look at the polka dot look on the neck in the picture below, the wing in the picture above, and the back in the first two pictures. These dots will be some of the places where we will first see feathers coming in. You can really see the pin feathers coming out on the wing tip in the two pictures below.
Bald Eagles will pant to help them cool off. We will start to see more and more of this as the days get warmer. The adults will pant after bring heavy prey into the nest.
The chick is really starting to take advantage of not having to share the nest with any siblings, stretching out in its sleep. First this way...
...then that way.
Eaglets also stretch a lot when they are growing. I think they are trying to adjust to their ever-changing bodies:
I got a nice family picture in the evening:
And then Dad took off while the chick preened.
3/22 was 4 weeks old for the Berry College Eaglet. Here's the collage:
I finally remembered to look in on the Hays nest during the daytime. This is the nest that looks like it's got an artsy filter on it at night. Well, this is what it looks like during the daytime, with Mom on the eggs:
Checking out the skies:
Looking at me, looking at her...
Enjoying a nice stretch:
Doing an egg roll to keep the eggs evenly warm and prevent the embryos from sticking to the shell.
Doing the shimmy, shimmy to settle back down on the eggs, getting maximum contact between her brood patch and the eggs.
All settled in:
And back to the artsy filter look. (I love how this looks, by the way...)
I also checked in with the White Rock nest, hoping to see a third egg. The first egg was laid on 3/16, the second right on time on 3/19. If there will be a third egg, it will be on 3/22. It looked kind of damp and foggy:
The strong breeze was giving Mom a bad hair day:
Dad is nowhere in sight:
Mom calls out. Is she looking for Dad?
Finally, a look at the eggs. Only two. Maybe a third egg will be laid later in the day...
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