And then it was another soggy morning at the nest -- day 23 for the chick.
Eventually, the rain stopped. The baby only popped its head out for a minute before tucking it back in:
Eventually, the family resumed normal activities. Feeding:
Snuggling:
Doing nestorations (so glad to see some crib rails coming in!):
Spending some time as a family. Can you tell which is Dad and which is Mom?
The chick can't figure out why there isn't as much room under Mom as there used to be...
I do think the chick has got pin feathers starting to grow in along the edge of the wing toward the tip... I feel like it's too soon, but that's what I think I'm seeing. (Note to self: Figure out what age pin feathers start coming in...)
I wondered last night what was in the nest with the Southwest Florida Eaglet. As someone correctly commented, it's an Armadillo tail. Check out this picture of Mom bringing a half-eaten Armadillo to the nest. (It was too heavy to lift, so Mom and Dad ate on it for a while before Mom brought it to the nest.) I guess Armadillo tails aren't very delicious since it's still in the nest... And check out this other picture that someone local to the nest took. So pretty!
I checked in on the Hays nest just now. They have sound at this nest. You could hear a train rumbling past close-by. Horn sounding and everything. And here's the Mom, not even a flinch:
