E9 is the 9th eaglet hatched to "Harriet" and "M15." There's a reason M15 and E9 aren't named and the short explanation is that they decided not to name the eagles in the cam nest anymore because when they lost E5 suddenly to an unknown illness... they decided to not name the eaglets, or any adult that happens onto the nest, because.... simply put... they're not pets. M=Male, and 15=the year he came to the nest after Ozzie passed away from injuries. E9 just means the ninth eaglet of Harriet's.
As I write this I stop to check on E9 as I'm hearing him squeeeeeeeeeeee... and knowing, after watching every single day... that he's doing something. ;) I clicked on the tab I have open ALL DAY long until I go to bed (not kidding) to find him wingersizing and hopping. He will begin to hover more and higher... and eventual branch, which is the step before fledge. The process is very dramatic, exciting, and absolutely beautiful.
Honestly, I haven't missed much because I've kept the live feed on my phone, or computer, or iPad depending on what I'm doing and where I am. If you miss even a day E9 looks very, very different.
Today E9 is 59 days old, is about 3 ft tall with a 6 ft wingspan. That means if he were standing next to you at your dinner table he could pick scraps off your plate. He's reached many milestones in development and growth and still has a ways to go. His feathers are coming in nicely but are still "blood wings," which he will have until they reach terminal growth and the blood dries up. He can't fledge, and knows it, until the feathers reach that terminal growth stage where the blood is no longer in the shaft. The blood makes the wings heavier which helps remind him he's not quite ready yet.
Other milestones he's reached, and they're ALL important, have been learning to self feed (still working on that, though he has eaten whole fishes by himself), defending his food (pic below of him mantling and defending his food brought by M15 this morning), developing and strengthening muscles he will use to fly and catch prey (wingersizing, perching on sticks in the nest and also perching on the crib rails or nest rails).
Below is a pic of E9 mantling, vocalizing a warning, and taking the fish from the adult. He will become more aggressive as the days pass. The adults expect this aggression. E9 will have to be very aggressive to survive as he will be competing for food once he's on his own. This mantling in the photo below is quite impressive...
Why am I calling E9 "He"? Only a DNA test can confirm if he's an actual HE or not, or if, as an adult we see E9 lay an egg. Right now all we can do is guess at his sex, which I believe (and others as well) is a male because he's more the size of M15 than Harriet. Female bald eagles are 25% to 30% larger than the males and as you can see.. E9 is about the size of M15.
For anyone interested there are bald eagle cams out there besides SWFL Eagle Cam and some are in northern areas where their nesting season is later than the south. Decorah had two active nests, both with small eaglets or eggs. E9 should be branching in a week or so and likely to fledge around day 85, which is an average. Some have fledged on day 80 while one eaglet at the SWFL nest fledged on day 100. I will likely watch other nests once E9 fledges, or I may wait until he leaves the area completely.. which is typically about 6-8 weeks after first fledge.
Here's the link to watch E9, and there are 3 camera views. Cam 1 is over the nest, but I do split view with Cam 2 for now. Once E9 fledges I'll likely go back and forth between Cam 1 and Cam 2 to see E9's activity nearby.
There is also a chat open a couple of times a day with moderators to answer questions you may have. They also have classroom sessions with teachers and students who ask great questions... a wonderful way to learn. Also, the cameras are equipped for infrared so you can see them at night too.
Here's a screen shot I got a few minutes ago....
It's the best reality show around, I have to say. Lots of laughs, suspense, amazement, drama when intruders show up at the nest....
I will post, separately, the link to the live cam. Not sure it will stream live from here but you guys will have the link. :)
Till next time!
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