Two of our little eaglets are just over one week old! What happened in their first week of life?
They doubled in size. Little peaglets D18 and D19 should weigh about 1 pound now. D20 at 5 days old is about 6-8ozs.
Their eyesight improved. While they can see at hatch, their vision improves in the first seven to ten days. Feeding helps them to develop depth and motion perception, focus their eyes, move them accurately, and use them together as a team.
Their coordination improved. Our D’s are caught up in a sort of ‘virtuous cycle’ of growth. Eating helps develop visual acuity and strengthens bonds between parents and children. An eaglet’s rich protein diet fuels its incredible growth rate. As eaglets grow and the visual circuits in their brains develop, they become more coordinated. As they become more coordinated, they get even better at eating and exploring, which fuels more growth.
They began social interaction. We saw dominance play, “cuddle puddles”, food begging, and adorable bonding between parents and their young.
They began exploring their world, beginning with their beaks! They tasted fish and other food, bonked, bit and nibbled siblings, poked Mom and Dad, and began picking at the nest. As we saw on Friday, they are ready and eager to explore the nest beyond the range of Mom and Dad’s confining feathers.
Am I seeing thermal down already? I am! Thicker thermal down will aid eaglet exploration by assisting thermoregulation. Right now, our eaglets can’t thermoregulate properly. They need Mom and Dad to add heat, although they know instinctively how to shed it by panting.
In the week to come, we’ll be looking for more nest exploration, increased sibling interaction, and a change of feathers as thermal down replaces first or birth down. Their little eye masks will begin to fade, and their ear holes (auditory canals) will soon be covered in feathers and out of view.
BUNNIEM1
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FOR THOSE FOLLOWING D1 --- THIS WAS POSTED BY BOB TODAY ...
Raptor Resource Project 5 hours ago Tracking D1! Bob writes:
"The transmitter for D1 was scheduled to turn on at 7:30AM plus or minus an hour or so. I started checking the Argos Web site for the most recent reading starting at 7AM. After checking every ten minutes or so at approximately 9:30 this AM we got our first reading of the day. It was a poor quality reading due to limited hits on satellites. It showed D1 to be just east of the town of Decorah. I decided to wait for another reading and with luck it would be a higher quality. At about 10:25 this AM we got our second reading with a much better location quality indicator. The data showed D1 on the Upper Iowa River near an area called the Iverson Bottoms. D1 has spent lots of time here over the years. I grabbed the tracking gear, and camera, and set off. Just as I was nearing the Iverson Bridge in Alamakee County, I started to get readings. As I stopped on the bridge itself, the receiver told me I was within 1,500 feet of our gal. I switched from the Omni to the Yaggi antennae, which told me she was on a bluff overlooking the Upper Iowa River. I hiked the river bank below and narrowed the search to a small area on the top center of this bluff. I tried working my way up the bluff using cedar bushes to keep me from falling. It soon became evident that I would be lucky to see her in the dense cedar trees on the bluff slope.
Attached is a photo of the bluff. Even though I couldn't get a photo, it was great to be out in the field once more!"
Explore the places D1 likes to stay using this map: http://www.raptorresource.org/maps/D1_clustermap.php [If you zoom in three times, you'll see a red 118 cluster NNE of Decorah. This is the region Bob tracked D1 in today. She has exhibited a strong preference for this area over the years. Zoom in more to explore it further. Thanks, Bob!].
THIS IS THE PHOTO SUBMITTED:
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Wow! That's just amazing to me and I think it has amazed everybody else that's studying her movements. I hope one day that she'll choose a mate and we get to watch her be a mom, too! Shouldn't she be about that age next season? Thanks BUNNIE!
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Mon Apr 07, 2014 6:26 pm (Last edited: Mon Apr 07, 2014 6:27 pm)
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