Southwest Florida Eagles Day 1&2 Second Hatch!, Harrison Bay Eagles First Egg Laid!, Bald Eagle ND Photographed!!

Here's my s'caps from today at the Southwest Florida Eagle nest:

That bite is way too big for that baby!

We've had a lot of rain today. Mom is not inclined to get up and expose her hatchling to the rain... Which leaves the viewers to wonder how the hatch is going.

It's hard to tell if that's a crack or debris.

We finally got a little clearing and can see a nice pip.

Dad took a good look at the nest bowl when he got a chance.

So cute. The cam swivels around, sometimes presenting the occupants upside down.

A nice crack has formed in the egg. The fish that is being fed to the baby must be delicious! The parent is drooling all over the baby while trying to get the fish into the baby's mouth. That's a line of drool across the top of the baby's head and there's more drool on its body.

This is the last frame that was in focus when zoomer took us in a little too close. That's the baby's beak showing at the pip hole.

Here's a link to E7's Lunch & E8 Moves Inside Egg (2:57) video.

And E8 did hatch at the Southwest Florida nest tonight. Check out this video E8 Hatches (3:43).

And there's much eggcitement at the Harrison Bay Bald Eagle nest! Their first egg arrived this evening! Last year, they didn't lay the first egg until 2/18. So, this was a surprise! Here's a video First Egg Laid (8:58). If they lay a second egg, it will be on Saturday.

Exciting news! Reese Lukei photographed Bald Eagle ND! He is almost 6 years old and is very handsome! ND hatched from the Norfolk Botanical Garden nest in early February of 2010, from the last brood that Mom Norfolk saw fledge. (She did see three chicks hatch in 2011, but was killed before they fledged.) I believe Reese found him in Virginia Beach -- maybe ND has come home to establish a territory and take a mate! ND's siblings are NC (Camellia - tracked with a transmitter) and NE (infamous for being rescued from the canal). More info is available regarding these eagles, so Google away! Include "Center for Conservation Biology" or "Norfolk Botanical Garden" in your search. And here's one more link, to the last time ND was spotted, a couple of years ago...

Berry College Fledgling Day 96, Nest Cam Round-up: White Rock, Hays, Berry College Bluebird, and Loch of the Lowes Osprey, Bald Eagle Camellia Checked In, Bald Eagle ND is Photographed, Update for Bald Eagle Buddy

Today is day 96 for the Berry College Bald Eagle. She didn't spend much time at the nest, but at least I got to see her.

Ut oh, we've been spotted!

She's telling us a thing or two...

I got to check in at the White Rock nest. Look at these two cutie-pies snuggled together while the parent is perched above them, keeping watch.

Big wing stretch.

Usually, I caption poop shots, "Lookout below!" But this one is "Lookout parent!" Seriously... But, it's not the first time I've seen a parent victimized by an eaglet! It's not on purpose...

One of the Hays eaglets is awake tonight.

Turns out they are all awake -- I've seen wing stretches out of the other two.

Right on time, egg number two at the Berry College Bluebird nest.

You can always tell when one of the parents is getting ready to enter the nest because the light coming into the box is blocked when they are getting ready to enter the box. And sure enough, here comes Mom!

Why is she incubating the eggs? It's not a complete clutch yet. I didn't watch this nest as closely with the last clutch and don't know if she did this then. But once the eggs are warmed by incubation, it's important that they not be allowed to cool off. Once the embryo starts to develop, it needs to be kept warm. I wonder if this is the reason only 1 of the 5 eggs laid in the last clutch hatched.

Still no hatch at the Scottish Wildlife Trust's Loch of the Lowes Osprey nest. I believe that if there is no hatch by this time tomorrow, then we are out of the hatch window... While I was watching the cam this evening I heard an owl hooting, and so did Mom, opening her eyes each time. Owls are predators of eggs and young, so Mom is smart to pay attention.

Bald Eagle Camellia checked in today.

(Wonderful news, part one!) Bald Eagle ND has been sighted and photographed! He is a beautiful Bald Eagle! ND is Camellia's brother -- same nest, same year. (Camellia has leg band NC and the third eagle from the Norfolk Botanical Garden in 2010 is NE.) You can see one of my first blog posts for more details about ND and his siblings. Look at the entry for the year 2010. (And note that today is ND's 4th anniversary of fledging.)

(Wonderful news, part two!) There is an update for Bald Eagle Buddy! It's hard to believe he's 6 years old now. There are two new pictures of him and he looks great!