May 05, 2005
Follow-up to Vermont Move
Over the last 24 hours, several cam watchers have sent us emails asking if there is any chance that Craig Koppie took another eaglet instead of the third one, based on the size of the birds that we saw in the special Gallery and the birds we are watching now.
We checked the photos again, and stated that we believed the third eaglet was taken as that was the plan. Later today, after having watched the live cam more, we want to say that we are not 100% sure that Craig took the third eaglet based on the evidence we have available.
Wednesday morning when Craig came to the Refuge, he did not come to our tree first. He first took two eaglets from another area and then came to our tree. Our ranger states that there is a small chance that when Craig got to the top of our nest and got his first good look at the third eaglet, he might have thought that he was too small to go with the bigger eaglets and live with them in the hacking tower. The last minute change would have been a diversion from the original plan, but would have been for the third eaglet's benefit out of concern for his safety.
When Craig came down the tree, he did not say anything about a change in plans, but to be fair to Craig, he had been scaling trees all morning, in the rain, and was very tired by the time he got to our tree. He was also concentrating more on the condition of the eaglets rather than our personal interest in the birds in that particular nest.
We have emailed Craig to get confirmation as he is the only one who knows for sure. We have heard that Craig is now waiting with the eaglets, and they will be flying to Vermont tomorrow on a donated jet. We don't know if Craig is going with them; if he is, we may not hear back from him until next week, but we want to get the scoop straight from him.
As soon as we hear from him, we will share that information. We didn't want to offer confusing twists in the story, but we wanted to be honest with our cam watchers about any doubt we might have and to reassure you we will try our best to track down the correct information so we know which eaglet went to VT and which eaglets we are now watching.
Now that we're up-to-date, we want to share some amazing photos with you that our ranger took from the ground on Wednesday. Click on the thumbnails below to see larger images. In the first photo is Craig Koppie scaling the cam tree. The second photo shows Todd from the Fish and Wildlife Service holding the bag with our eaglet. The third photo shows our eaglet tucked in the bag and on the ground. The fourth photo shows Valerie and Todd from the FWS moving the eaglet into the carrier. And the final photo (which will open in a full-size window) shows a magnificent portrait of our handsome bird.
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We hope you enjoy these photos as they are some of the best close-up shots we'll get to see of the eaglets before they fledge and strike out on their own for good.
Thanks again to all those who have been following the cam and our Vermont saga. We appreciate your support and interest, as well as your good wishes.
Side note: We hear they are nearing a decision on the "Name the Eaglets Competition."
Until next time,
Lisa - webmaster