Nest Update May 3, 2013 Pin Feather Emergence or Down??

Travis Frank May 4, 2013

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.

MN BOUND Blog link

Razzle has provided us with wonderful vids of each days exciting activities:

Feb-Apr play list link

April/May play list link

Bookmark all and check often as uploads occur daily.

On to pin feathers!

On April 29^th 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!!

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

Nest Update May 2, 2013 - A Quiet Day After The Intruder Scare

Travis Frank May 2, 2013

Good Evening, Fellow WindyNesters!!

So, today was a very calm one after the intruder was chased away by Mom last night. The discussion, however, continued hot and heavy throughout the day in SS. We all looked at the footage several times and we do not have a consensus as to what the intruder was. Most of us are leaning to it being another adult eagle. That means it couldn’t be Harmon as some have stated. Sorry. It did have a white tail and it was hard to see the head, it was moving so fast with Mom chasing it like the Hound of the Baskervilles. But it did not return and we had a very peaceful day on the nest. It was windy and a little chilly so Mom and Dad spent a lot of time sheltering the kids to keep them warm. Luckily, the snow predicted all went south of the nest area and made big headlines on The Weather Channel. Hopefully for those hit it will melt quickly and we can get on with spring. Mom and Dad kept Harmony and Peace full to the brim again today and they played and slept as the day demanded. There was a northern brought in earlier in the day and Mom brought in a nice fresh duck for dinner. The nest got a new coat of feathers and the kids ate it up with gusto. After dinner Peace chased Mom around the duck and then everyone settled in for the night.

It was so calm on the nest today we don’t have any vids tonite. We do have some pics from the day though.

Peace playing “I got your Nose” with Harmony. (Thanks Pat!)

And Mom tries it with Dad.

Harmony checking the wind direction.

Mom over the nest.

Are you guys still here? Your dust bunnies need chasing!

Time for some roughhousing!

Tomorrow one of our great mods, jreagle, will be doing the first of the guest blog appearances. She’s keeping it a surprise so I am as excited to see it as I know you will be. Thanks to Razzle and BBC as always for the great pics from today.

Hope you had a great day on the nest and we will see you there tomorrow!

Talonstrike

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to post them below or in the chat room. Also, we'll be updating our official MN Bound LIVE Eagles Facebook Page regularly so you can follow along, like, or share with your friends. We have several site moderators this year to help give optimal information to all that want to learn more about these magnificent birds.

Nest Update May 1, 2013 - Holy Smokes!

Travis Frank May 2, 2013

Good Evening, Fellow IntruderExcluders!!

Boy, Oh Boy! I get stuck at another long day of work and you guys have a most exciting day on the nest! When I looked in to grab a screenshot this morning Mom was standing on the nest covered in snow! And Dad was covered, too! Somebody forget to tell the weatherman?? It’s MayDay! Flowers are supposed to be starting to bloom, fer goshsakes! Peace was sticking her neck out trying to see what was falling from the sky. Harmony played it smart and tried to stay in the warm spot under Mom! Didn’t quite work out for either of them but they did get some fishcicle for breakfish.

MNBound Eagles Snow Falls on May Day

Harmony found a soft spot to hang out in and posed for the cam today.

MNBound Eagles Simply Harmony

Razzle posted a vid she captured on Monday of Harmony’s wingtip with her 2nd down growth showing.

MNBound Eagles Harmony's Wing Tip at 14 Days Old

And for the big WOW of the day, as the kids and Dad were waiting for Mom’s return this evening, something caught Dad’s eye and he let it know it was not welcome. This went on for some minutes and when Mom did show up she surprised Dad for fair. They both held choir practice to try to scare the intruder away. Finally Mom lit out after it and chased it across the river and away from the nest. It could be seen leaving in a big hurry with Mom hot on it’s tail. From stills and freeze frames it looks to me like it was an adult or near adult eagle that came to pay a visit. Sorry to say the coloration of the intruder precludes it from being Harmon. Last I heard he was living the high life somewhere else anyway. The kids were good eaglets during all of this and kept their heads down in the middle of the nest. Such good children! An exciting ending to a MayDay filled with excitement.

MNBound Eagles Extreme Alert Adult Eagle Intruder

Mom brought in some more new carpeting for the north wing.

Dad’s wing spread during the intruder incident.

Mom surprising Dad.

Mom and Dad during the choir practice.

All in all, a very interesting First of May on the nest! Thanks to Razzle and BBC for the great pics and vids today.

Hope you enjoyed the day on the nest and we’ll see you there tomorrow!

TalonStrike

Nest Update April 30, 2013 - A Blustery Spring Day!

Travis Frank May 1, 2013

Good Evening, Fellow Nestafarians!!

Well, It was a blustery day when I arrived at the nest this morning. I stayed for a class and then was called away on an urgent work order. Sooo, I don’t have much for you all tonight. It looks like there were no vids today and just a few pictures. I will also be off the nest all day tomorrow but I will try to look in more than I could today. Hope you all enjoyed your day on the nest!

Harmony tips over after feeding for 31 minutes straight.

Mom brings in a live one!

Mom and Dad scrabble over the fish.

Mom tells Dad “No fish for you!!”

After lunch Cuddle Puddle.

That about does it in the pic department for today.

See you on the nest tomorrow.

TalonStrike

Nest Update April 29, 2013 - Downs and Ups Today!

Travis Frank April 29, 2013

Good Evening, Fellow ScreenStarers!!

Can I get a YAHOO?? BBC beat up, cajoled and pleaded with the equipment that brings us the nest cam and got us back online today. We were up for an hour this morning and then we came back up permanently about 4 hours later. Thanks BBC!

The eagles had another gorgeous spring day on the nest. Harmony and Peace seemed to have grown overnight (they probably did) and were working the confines of the nest hard as Mom and Dad kept their crops full to the brim. A few friendly bonkfests were seen and a lot of naps were taken, basking in the sun. A scaup (a kind of duck) made its way to the nest and gave up its down to decorate the rails in a 60’s sort of fashion. Mom and Dad took turns watching the kids, stealing food from each other and bringing home things to stock the larder. Dad landed a small bass that contributed to the eaglets stretched crops. Harmony learned what it was like to PS into the wind and Peace continued to paint the rails. As night fell chatters, mods and perchers gave thanks all around that the cam was back up again.

FYI: Just a heads up, I have asked the other mods to contribute a guest blog here from time to time. Can’t wait to see what they have to tell us!

On to the pics and vids!

First vid after the cam returned.

MNBound Eagles Cam Is Back On Peace & Harmony