And Then There Were Three

An update on the eaglets...

I mentioned before that we'd seen One and Two fly from the eagles nest and later perched in a crag.  Linda and I both thought we still saw movement in the nest.  So, I've continued watching for evidence of a third offspring. 

Last Tuesday when Gimme and me were walking, I noticed the parent eagle flying in tight circles to one side of the pipeline.  I could hear a lot of eaglet calls and the parent eagle was agitated and flying lower than usual.  On the chance that an eaglet might have gotten to the ground and be unable to get aloft again, I encouraged Gimme to keep her forays to the other side of the road and closer to me.  I didn't think there could be a favorable outcome were she to come upon an eaglet on the ground.

On our way back things were quieter, the parent eagle was still in the air, but flying higher and wider circles.  Then I spotted a single eaglet perched on the very tip top of a tree.  Before we passed the tree where the nest is, it took off, flew around a bit and returned to the nest.

This was the same day that Gimme had her first deer sighting.  It was quite large for deer in this area and just standing right at the edge of the woods watching me.  When Gimme spotted this interloper, she ran right at it barking and it disappeared into the woods.  Gimme went into the woods a couple feet and then came right out again.  She will follow me into the woods and happily follow the tiniest of tracks, but always stays very close.  She has clearly decided that the deep woods are not her element. 

For the rest of that walk, she stayed on that side of the road and patrolled right along the edge of the woods.  Gimme has ideas about the right and wrong of things.  One of those ideas is that deer belong in the woods and not out on the pipeline road or open areas on either side, especially not when we are using the area.  It seems she is prepared to enforce her ideas about right and wrong.

Today Gimme and me saw more of the eaglets and confirmed there are three.  I heard a lot of eaglet calls when we got into the area where the nest is and saw two flying around and the parent eagle flying high nearby.  Then I saw one fly to the nest.  Then two more fly to the nest.  Later I saw all three eaglets perched on one branch of a dead crag.  Three sits off by itself and is about 25% smaller than One and Two.  One and Two always fly together and range further away.  Three keeps to itself and does its flights alone and closer to home.  I see a lot more of the parent eagle when Three is out and about.

Three returned to the nest and called for the parent.  I didn't see the parent eagle come in while we were there, but its clear that One, Two and Three are still being fed at the nest.