I am watching the Berry College Bald Eagle nest with a growing sense of dread. Although I didn't watch the nest 24/7 today, I did watch it for a number of successive hours both today and yesterday and have not seen Dad Berry since the storm. I saw Mom do another poop shoot out of the nest today, which I interpret to mean that Dad hasn't been to the nest so she can take a break. And the pantry is starting to look bare. All are indicators that Dad has not been to the nest. If something has happened to Dad Berry, Mom will try to take care of the babies herself. But at this young age, they are unable to defend themselves while she is gone to forage for food. Which she will need to do soon if Dad doesn't show up. The predators that pose a threat are hawks, eagles, raccoons, ravens, squirrels, and owls. Although owls not so much since Mom will continue to protect the chicks overnight. I did hear of a nest where a single parent raised a chick to fledge, but that is the exception, not the rule... And there was some human intervention -- food was left nearby for the Mom (coordinated by the local game and fish department) so she wouldn't have to leave her chick for long periods while foraging. So far, I can't find any other mention of Dad Berry being missing... If anyone has seen him since the storm, please leave a comment. Here are a few s'caps from today.
Warmer temps and sunshine have melted most of the snow from the nest.
Pretty light on the back branch.
I bumped up the quality setting for these s'caps. The babies are not fighting during feedings, indicating that they are getting enough food. Notice all the white wash on the guard rails. As the babies get bigger, the back branch will start to get painted...
We have an escapee. One of the babies has come out of the nest bowl in order to get closer to Mom during a feeding. This is the first time I've seen one of them out of the nest bowl and is a milestone in their development. This is a time for shoring up the guardrails with more sticks!
I love leucistic Bald Eagles. Here's an explanation of the condition.
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