He joined Mom on the nest during the rough weather, crouching over Mom.
Dad eventually left and Mom put her head down to ride out the storm.
Sticks blew onto her head and neck and debris blew onto her back. But she didn't get up off of her babies.
She tried to move the stick off of her back without getting up...
...but just put her head back down when it wouldn't budge.
Another stick had landed on her back when Dad arrived. I thought he was going to move the stick, but he just picked it up and set it back down.
Mom shrugged off the sticks when she stood up and took the fish that Dad was standing on.
Look at that little face!
Both chicks appear to be ok at this point. But they will have a long time to go before they can stay exposed long enough for a feeding.
Dad got right into position so Mom could eat the fish.
As soon as Mom finished eating, she started shoving Dad off of the nest.
Dad did not want to move and they had a pretty good shoving match going on.
Even with her wing hitched up on Dad, Mom did the wiggle to settle in on her babies.
Dad figured out that if he was going to help, that he needed to be on the windy side. So he stepped on Mom to get there!
He crouched next to her for a few minutes.
Then he settled in next to her...
And they stayed side-by-side like this for the next 3.5 hours. Incredible! It is very touching to see how these two care for their young.
Finally, Dad left the nest and we get a zoomed-in look at Mom.
I got a quick peek at the Africam Black Eagle chicks during their overnight. They are at the bottom of the s'cap, among her talons. It's funny how chicks burrow under Mom, always face first:
Then I got another peek when Mom stood up. The chick closest to Mom is more obscured in the frame before and the frame after this s'cap. This was a good as it got...
The Scottish Wildlife Trust's Loch of the Lowes Osprey didn't appear to have as bad of weather as the Dyfi nest. It was still windy, but didn't seem as bad. At least during the time I could watch.
I had made a statement before that turtles don't stand a chance at the Harrison Bay Eagle nest, since I've seen so many turtle shells picked clean in the nest. Well, apparently I was wrong. Turtles do stand a chance, if they wait until cover of darkness when everyone is asleep, and bravely make a run for it... The eaglets are down for the night, with just a lazy wing stretch here and there.
Everything looks peaceful at the nest.
Then, movement from under one of the sleeping eaglets.
The coast is clear!
Run! (I can't believe how fast this turtled ran. Look at how blurry it is. It was hauling shell!)
Over this branch...
Under this one...
I'm cheering for the turtle!
Freedom is in sight! Will he make it?!?!
This is the last that the turtle was visible. Good luck on the fall from the nest!
And the eaglets are none the wiser...
From earlier in the day, HB8 is looking comfortable on the branch. It also went out on the back branch today. Not very far, but it was out there...
I just found that Mike Inman posted pictures of Bald Eagle Dad Norfolk, his mate HE, and their fledgling! Check it out at this link.
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