When will DH2 fledge? Our little eaglet will turn 67 days old this afternoon and has been learning its wings and building its strength as it wingercizes, jumps, bounces, and generally trampolines around the nest. While we don’t have an exact date of departure, we do know that:
- Male eaglets develop more quickly and tend to fledge earlier than their female siblings, although there is some overlap.
- In ‘The Bald Eagle’, Mark Stalmaster states that ‘…a single fledgling will fledge more rapidly than one that has nestmates.‘
- If the nestlings are disturbed by humans or another predator, they will leave the nest early.
Our earliest fledge occurred at the North nest when singleton DN12 fledged on June 9, 2020 @ at just 70 days of age. We don’t know whether DH2 is a male or a female, but we are likely down to a handful of days either way. Watch for more jumps, hovers, and possibly branching to precede fledge!
Videos
June 12, 2023: A raccoon checking out DH2 – https://youtu.be/UPmQKy2lOl0. Exactly as the title says! A racoon takes a look at DH2 and slowly backs down the trunk. DH2 responds – a little late! – with an impressive wing whap.
June 11, 2023: DH2 wingersizing and high hops before breakfast – https://youtu.be/jw1WTTdPAVI. DH2 gets in some nice air-robics before HD arrives with breakfish! All the bouncing can be a little nerve-wracking, but it helps DH2 build the strength and coordination it needs for fledge!
June 8, 2023: DH2 and a butterfly – https://youtu.be/5EzuM8vgMxU. What is that? Make sure to check out the slow motion video – DH2’s reaction is priceless!
We still have some field work left, but we are mostly back in the office. We’re currently trying to figure out the best way to handle the situation at GSB – I’ll post about that in a bit – and look forward to catching up. A thousand thanks to our awesome volunteers for keeping everyone up to date on Facebook during our absence! Blog followers, I apologize for the long gap, but we will be back to posting regularly this week.
The Raptor Resource Project