During the past winter I wrote a Journal article about Bald Eagles nesting in the area. Please review that entry before reading this new update on the progress of that nesting effort. There were two eggs produced by this pair of eagles who have been breeding at the site for at least 10 years. The nest location is in a huge old Cyprus in the backwater swamp off the Tar River in eastern North Carolina. Both eggs hatched around mid April and the two chicks appeared active and healthy until around May 1. Only one of them was seen after that date. It is not known what happened to the missing chick, but baby eaglets are known to show the aggressive nature of this species even early in the nest by competitive pushing for food which sometimes results in one being pushed out of the nest. Or the chick may have died from natural causes. At any rate, only one of them survived. The pictures below attempt to show the progression of development of this new addition to the population.
During this feeding period when the eaglet is in the nest, both parents alternate between babysitting and hunting food. The appetite of the young bird is voracious, so this is a tough task for the adults. During the first few weeks, when the chicks are small, the parents stand in the nest and feed them wall bits of fish. Later, when the babies are bigger, the food will be dropped into the nest and the chicks will eat independently while the parents sit at a distance near the nest. When the eaglets fledge and begin to fly, the parents will train the young birds to catch prey on the fly. This training will continue for six months or more. The so far successful rearing of this chick will add another Bald Eagle to the growing population in the area. The pics below are presented in order of date from mid-April until June 6, 2019. See pics below.
During this feeding period when the eaglet is in the nest, both parents alternate between babysitting and hunting food. The appetite of the young bird is voracious, so this is a tough task for the adults. During the first few weeks, when the chicks are small, the parents stand in the nest and feed them wall bits of fish. Later, when the babies are bigger, the food will be dropped into the nest and the chicks will eat independently while the parents sit at a distance near the nest. When the eaglets fledge and begin to fly, the parents will train the young birds to catch prey on the fly. This training will continue for six months or more. The so far successful rearing of this chick will add another Bald Eagle to the growing population in the area. The pics below are presented in order of date from mid-April until June 6, 2019. See pics below.
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