That IS The Question!!
Good evening, everyone. JR is contributing to the blog today and having a great time putting this together. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I have.
Talon has done a wonderful job keeping you all up to date in the blog of all the nesting activities each day.
Razzle has provided us with wonderful vids of each days exciting activities:
Bookmark all and check often as uploads occur daily.
On to pin feathers!
On April 29th Razzle uploaded a vid.
Harmony on this date was 14 days old. We have all read that pin feathers are typically visible at 18-24 days on average. We discussed and questioned whether or not we were seeing pin feathers and tried to validate our visuals with published research. Is this cam so clear that we are able to see eaglet growth with more clarity to enable us to define such at an earlier time?
None of us are researchers nor do we profess to have this knowledge. Our opinions are not substantiated by our individual research—only by what we have individually observed and read.
We did not feel comfortable making a statement referencing the pin feather development with out substantiation. Therefore, we contacted researchers and others who are dedicated to the study of raptors and wildlife. We offered them the above posted video link to review and asked if in fact pin feathers could appear on an eaglet at the age of 14 days, hopeful that their response would validate what we observed.
The responses were uniform and in agreement with what we saw; that yes pin feathers could appear at 2-3 weeks! We were also informed that there are many variables that can influence raptor development. The genetic make up of the parents, the food resources (i.e. diet), the age of the parents, and possibly the weather to name a few.
Fascinating information that sends all of us to our favorite search engines to discover more. This subject is thrilling and could easily be continued. However, we would probably miss tomorrow’s growth as eaglets develop very rapidly. Monday Harmony is 21 days and statistically should be a foot tall with feet and a beak nearly adult size. Time sure does fly when you’re a human watching an eagle nest.
Thank you BBC for the viewing clarity offered on this site. Thank you my fellow mods for offering opinions, suggestions, research documents and the opportunity for healthy and positive discussion. Thank you chatters for being with us, for sharing your knowledge in positive ways that enhance the learning for all!
As we continue this journey watching Harmony and Peace grow and mature to fledge, we hope that we remain positive to reinforce the desire of all to enjoy the nest of Peace and Harmony and show all, that choose to be with us, respect.
Hoping all of you have a wonderful evening. I will see each of you nest side tomorrow!
Razzle captured a vid of Peace’s wing tip at 11:07 nest time and we can now say positively that Peace has the beginnings of pin feathering too!!! Here’s the vid (we are sorry the lighting was poor today) and a screen cap!!
JR
Organizations from which information was requested:
Wildlife Center of Virginia
Center for Conservation Biology
Wildlife Care Alliance
Dr. Julie Ponder, DMN
Executive Director
The Raptor Center, College of Veterinary Medicine
University of Minnesota