April 25, 2005
Life in the Nest
Over the last five months, our wonderful cam watchers have sent in a ton of amazing photos, and this past week was no different. In addition to some great face and feather photos, we also saw a lot of quality behavioral shots that gave us a window into the daily lives of the eaglets. Here is a list of some of the highlights:
Preening: The eaglets are doing a good bit of preening now that they have so many feathers to maintain. As we mentioned awhile back in this log, the eagles' oil gland is located at the base of their tail, and the birds use this oil to clean and waterproof their feathers. This photo offers a good view of an eaglet maintaining his beautiful coat.
Eye Protection: Occasionally when the eaglets are preening, we see their third eyelid -- or nictitating membrane -- move horizontally across each eye. All raptors have this transparent eyelid, which keeps the eyes moist and clean, and protects the eyes during feeding and preening. In this shot you can see the eaglet protecting his eyes during a cleaning session.
Also, you might want to check out this web page where you can see an illustration of the third eyelid and how it works.
Crop Storage: Eagles are diurnal raptors (active in the daytime), and all raptors of this type have a special organ called a crop, which is a muscular pouch located in front of the bird's neck near the throat. This pouch serves as a storage area where food can be held for later digestion.
In these two shots taken during one feeding session, you can actually see the crop on the third eaglet fill up with food.
For the eaglets, the advantage of a crop is that they can quickly swallow food that their siblings might want, and for the adults it means the chicks can go longer between feedings. Besides storing food for later consumption, the crop also stores indigestible material -- like bones and scales. These unusable food pieces are captured in the crop and eventually molded into pellets that are later regurgitated. (Note that owls, which are mostly nocturnal, do not have crops).
Scavenging: While watching the cam, it seems that the eaglets spend a good part of the day just lying around. But after watching the eaglets on the live video feed at the Refuge headquarters, our cam technician reports that sometimes when it looks like the eaglets are lounging, they are actually digging for food bits in the bottom of the nest. In this shot, you can see a good example of an eaglet digging for leftovers while he's waiting for the next meal to be delivered.
Entertainment: And because life in the nest is not just about eating, preening, and napping, there's also time for little contests like the "I'm Bigger Than You Are" game that the eaglets seem to be playing in this photo. Fortunately for the third eaglet, it won't be long before he'll be able to hold his own in any such contests. :-)
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Extra Note: Just an extra post about some recent cam-related events. We have not heard the final word on whether the third eaglet will be relocated to Vermont, but as soon as the final decision is made, we'll announce it in the Web Log.
Also, our "Name the Eaglets Competition" has ended, and word from the Refuge is that they will select a winner or winners by May 6. Thanks to everyone for their creative and imaginative efforts in naming the cam eaglets. We were thrilled with the response from our cam watchers!
Until next time,
Lisa - webmaster