May 07, 2005
Into the Hacking Tower
We have new Vermont photos showing the eaglet being moved into the hacking tower on Friday. These are courtesy of Eveleen Cecchini, the Supervisor of Eagle Care for the Vermont Bald Eagle Restoration Initiative. Click on the thumbnails for larger photos.
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We were told that eaglet #2 would be sexed, so we're trying to get that information. We're also trying to confirm that our eaglet is on camera #2 at the Vermont website. Finally some have asked why the tower box is not more like a nest and will the folks there "help" the eagles learn to fly or hunt. These are good questions and we'll try to get answers to them.
Finally, we wanted to say something about eaglet relations in our cam nest now that we have a brood of two. Several cam watchers have written in to say that they are pleased eaglet #3 was left with eaglet #1. It seemed to those who watch the cam regularly that eaglet #2 was rather competitive with eaglet #3. The competition between them was normal sibling rivalry and never seemed life-threatening -- and it did seem to dissipate as they got older -- but there was clearly a competitiveness between them that might have stemmed from the fact that they were the youngest and the third was at such a size disadvantage.
It's impossible to guarantee what kind of relationship eaglets #1 and #3 will have in the future before they fledge -- they're wild animals so no one knows for sure, and that's why we watch. But if past relations are any indication, their relationship could be relatively smooth.
If we get more information from Vermont, we'll be sure to share it. At the very least, in the near future we should be able to watch the eaglets fledge on the cameras at the Vermont website. Based on eaglet #2's age, that should happen this month.
A technical note: If anyone is having a problem seeing the cams on the Vermont website (for example if you're getting little red X's instead of the image), their website uses a small software program called Axis Media Control to display the cams. If your computer does not automatically download this, you can download it here: It's the first download at the top of the page. If you install that on your computer, you won't keep getting the red X's, and you should be able to see the cam image.
Until next time,
Lisa - webmaster