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on to FL - Cape Coral II

Cape Coral I, FL
hatched December 26 and ~December 28
fledged March 11 (younger) and March 19
Link

 
Most pictures are from the Maine Bald Eagle Cam Discussion Forum's
thread on the Cape Coral Eagle Cams

Additional info and pictures from the Hancock Wildlife Channel's
thread on the Cape Coral Eagle Cams
 

The direct link to the cam is http://74.95.63.177/ password public (in both places - you may need to enter it twice). The eagles here are named George and Gracie. The original George died in 2006 and Gracie found another mate George II. Gracie appears to be about 20 and George II appears to be much younger. Gracie continued her success by fledging eaglets with George II in 2007.

[need picture of nest]

Based on past experience, look for eggs in the first half of December, chicks in mid-January, and fledging in early April.

Summary of 2008 Season:
  • eggs laid: before cam was active - maybe late November
  • hatched: feeding behavior seen December 26; first screen cap of chick January 6; two chicks seen January 8
  • branching: smaller one branched February 24, a little over 8 weeks old; serious lift by both seen a couple of days earlier
  • fledged: smaller one fledged March 11 (74 days or 10-1/2 weeks); older one fledged around March 19 (84 days or 12 weeks)
  • last seen: both together April 23 (117 days or 16-1/2 weeks); one alone May 11 (137 days or 19-1/2 weeks)
Cape Coral eaglets
Lori's photo - December 26, 2007
The camera angle doesn't let us look into the nest bowl; feedings were first observed December 26, so we're using that as the hatch date for the older eaglet and assuming the second was hatched 2 days later as it was first seen two days later. It can be up to 24 hours after a hatch before an eaglet is fledged, so we may be off by a day or two.
Cape Coral eaglets
jmt's photo - January 2, 2008
Feedings continue - still no confirmed sighting of eaglets.
(one week old)

Lori's photo - January 6, 2008
First sighting - 11 days old.

Paula's photo - January 8, 2008
Two eaglets!

soph9's photo - January 9, 2008
(two weeks old)

emptybelfry's photo - January 18, 2008
(younger is three weeks old)

JudyB's photo - January 18, 2008
What big wings you have!
Cape Coral eaglets
Lori's photo - January 21, 2008
"Watching the world go by...."
Cape Coral I eaglets
Shoebutton's photo - January 24, 2008
(4 weeks old)
Cape Coral I eaglets
EmtyBelfry's photo - January 26, 2008
Cape Coral I eaglets
Lori's photo - January 28, 2008
Cape Coral I eaglets
Lori's photo - January 31, 2008
(five weeks old)
Cape Coral I eaglets
Lori's photo - January 31, 2008
Cape Coral I eaglets
JudyB's photo - January 31, 2008

Cape Coral I eaglets
Lori's photo - February 3, 2008
They are suddenly looking much taller!

Cape Coral I eaglets
EmtyBelfry's photo - February 5, 2008
Cape Coral I eaglets
EmtyBelfry's photo - February 5, 2008
Cape Coral I eaglets
EmtyBelfry's photo - February 6, 2008
(six weeks old)
Cape Coral I eaglets
JudyB's photo - February 9, 2008
"I don't really think they're taller than Dad at this point and am very sure they're not taller than Mom - but it did remind me of my 5'5" sister-in-law with her two 6'+ tall sons!"
Cape Coral I eaglets
JudyB's photo - February 9, 2008
"I've been checking in on these guys fairly often, and this is the first time I've seen one standing there looking like a real eagle for so long. They are indeed growing up!"
Cape Coral I eaglets
Paula's photo - February 11, 2008
JudyB: "I was thinking as I was watching that he(?) was achieving a couple of flaps before losing his balance - as opposed to a day or two ago when they were doing great big stretches, but not really moving their wings up and down (or at least that's how it looked to me! )."

Cape Coral I eaglets
EmtyBelfry's photo - February 14, 2008
(seven weeks old)

Cape Coral I eaglets
JudyB's photo - February 14, 2008
Cape Coral I eaglets
JudyB's photo - February 14, 2008
JudyB: "While I'm not at all sure who is who, the one on the left held this pose for quite a while, and I think the one on the right is saying "You can do what with your wings??""
Lori: "I'm thinking that you caught the first mantle in this shot!
Sure looks like it to me and they are about the right age and size for that to start happening.
"
Cape Coral I eaglets
EmtyBelfry's photo - February 16, 2008
"Starting to get some "jumps" out of wings"
Cape Coral I eaglets
EmtyBelfry's photo - February 18, 2008
"Tiny talon takeoff?? "
Cape Coral I eaglets
JudyB's photo - February 18, 2008
Cape Coral I eaglets
EmtyBelfry's photo - February 20, 2008
Cape Coral I eaglets
EmtyBelfry's photo - February 20, 2008
(eight weeks old)
Cape Coral I eaglets
JudyB's photo - February 21, 2008
Cape Coral I eaglets
JudyB's photo - February 21, 2008
Cape Coral I eaglets
Paula's photo - February 23, 2008
Cape Coral I eaglets
soph9's photo - February 24, 2008
Cape Coral I eaglets
EmtyBelfry's photo - February 24, 2008
"Wahoooo.........little "SIB" branched 1st that I have seen!"
Cape Coral I eaglets
bev.'s photo - February 25, 2008
Cape Coral I eaglets Cape Coral I eaglets
JudyB's photos - February 25, 2008
"A nice jump - and notice the big feet in the first picture!"
Cape Coral I eaglets
EmtyBelfry's photos - February 26, 2008
Cape Coral I eaglets Cape Coral I eaglets
JudyB's photos - February 28, 2008
(nine weeks old)
Cape Coral I eaglets
JudyB's photos - March1, 2008
I finally caught one of them branching! I think it's Little Bro up there - but I'm not sure.

Cape Coral I eaglets Cape Coral I eaglets
EmtyBelfry's photos - March 1, 2008
Little "SIB" has been having a "BLAST" on branch

[Little Bro and SIB are nicknames for the younger, presumed-male eaglet]

Cape Coral I eaglets
EmtyBelfry's photo - March 2, 2008
Cape Coral I eaglets
JudyB's photo - March 6, 2008
(ten weeks old)

Cape Coral I eaglets
Lori's photo - March 8, 2008

JudyB: Well, there may be a problem - it's been exceedingly windy in that part of Florida - and we've only seen one eaglet in the nest this morning. We're hoping that the missing eaglet is branching off-camera and will figure out how to return soon - but he missed a food delivery, which suggests that he hasn't figured out how to get back from wherever he is. It looks to me as if the missing one is Little Bro - the more advanced flapper and brancher - so there's a good chance he was able to make it to safety somewhere if he was blown out by a gust while doing his patented high jumps. And the parents will feed an eaglet wherever it is, so he'll have food while he continues to develop the wing strength needed to return to the nest.

Update: We've been in touch with someone from Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife, and he has called the police (though he admitted he wasn't sure how much they could or would do) and the Fish & Wildlife Department - who is sending a team which should arrive there in an hour or so! We also talked with a wildlife rescue group, and they were pleased to hear Fish & Wildlife was on the job - and having the rescue place assure us that everything possible would be done made us feel a little better.

Cape Coral I eaglets
EmtyBelfry's photo - March 9, 2008

Cape Coral I eaglets
Tonya's photo - March 9, 2008

He's Back!

JudyB: The missing eaglet reappeared around 1:57 pm this afternoon!
The folks on the Maine forum had the impression he came down from the upper branches - so he may have tried to do some advanced branching in the high winds yesterday morning and got a bit stuck or slightly banged up - so it took a while for him to make his way back to the nest.
I obviously don't know - but I don't think he's had enough flapping practice to have strong enough wings to actually fly from a significantly lower branch to somewhere in the upper part of the tree - so if he was up there, I think he flew upward and possibly got a bit spooked by the force of the wind and took a while to return. But that's just my guess.
We did get a report that the local eagle group was out in force looking for him - which was good to hear!
And I am so happy to know that he's back in the nest!

Cape Coral I eaglets
Shoebutton's photo - March 10, 2008
Cape Coral I eaglets
EmtyBelfry's photo - March 10, 2008
Cape Coral I eaglets Cape Coral I eaglets
Lori's photo - March 10, 2008
Cape Coral I eaglets
Shoebutton's photo - March 11, 2008

Cape Coral I eaglets Cape Coral I eaglets
Paula's photos - March 11, 2008

Lori: Though we can't be certain, I think that Lil Bro has already fledged. I really think he's been beyond just branching at this point.
EmtyBelfry: Haven't been able to capture, but believe it has been Little "SIB" that has been doing close fly bys

Cape Coral I eaglets
JudyB's photo - March 11, 2008

JudyB: If you look in the upper left, you'll see a foot - and from there, you can see the rest of Little Bro as he flies back into the nest. I agree that he's fledged - what he was doing today definitely looked like more than going from branch to branch! Assuming he is the younger, he's 10-1/2 weeks old; the older will be 11 weeks old tomorrow.

Cape Coral I eaglets Cape Coral I eaglets
JudyB's photos - March 12, 2008
I think this is Big Sis - she's eleven weeks old today

Cape Coral I eaglets
JudyB's photo - March 12, 2008
Little Bro
Cape Coral I eaglets
Lori's photo - March 15, 2008
Cape Coral I eaglets
EmtyBelfry's photo - March 15, 2008

Cape Coral I eaglets
EmtyBelfry's photo - March 19, 2008
(twelve weeks old)

JudyB: Parent arrived with food (I think) around 10:07 - it's now 10:24, second parent has stopped by - but no eaglets. I think that suggests that SIS and SIB have both fledged! I'm guessing that they'd have come down to check the food delivery if they were in the tree.

Cape Coral I eaglets
EmtyBelfry's photo - March 26, 2008
(thirteen weeks old)
The WHOLE "FAM" together for dinner

Cape Coral I eaglets Cape Coral I eaglets
EmtyBelfry's photos - April 3, 2008
(fourteen weeks old)
a NEW LOOK OUT branch waiting for FOOD! - and - MINE......NO MINE......pulling on "breakfast".....

Cape Coral I eaglets
EmtyBelfry's photo - April 7, 2008

Cape Coral I eaglets
JudyB's photo - April 9, 2008
(fifteen weeks old)
This pair is 15 weeks old, and still returning to the nest a couple of times a day for food deliveries by their dedicated parents (note parent standing safely out of the way of two hungry fledglings!).

Cape Coral I eaglets Cape Coral I eaglets

Cape Coral I eaglets Cape Coral I eaglets
JudyB's photos - April 16, 2008
(sixteen weeks old)
Finally got pictures of the eaglets in flight!

Cape Coral I eagletsCape Coral I eaglets

Cape Coral I eaglets Cape Coral I eaglets
JudyB's photos - April 23 2008
(seventeen weeks old)

Cape Coral I eaglets
JudyB's photo - May 2, 2008
(eighteen weeks old)

Cape Coral I eaglets Cape Coral I eaglets

Cape Coral I eaglets Cape Coral I eaglets
JudyB's photos - May 4, 2008

Dad (I think) was in the nest for quite a while, apparently eating while keeping an eye out for fly-ins - but neither of the fledglings appeared. He was back in the nest later in the day with one of the juvies (I'm guessing Big Sis). I didn't see them arrive - but saw what happened afterwards. I think there was food there, and Dad was standing by while Big Sis ate - then the fledgling flew at Dad, who tossed up his wings in a rather confused picture that I missed - and she chased him out of the nest. She then celebrated her victory, not by eating, but by perching on the arch branch. And Dad came back shortly, and started picking at whatever was in the nest, while the fledgling stayed on the arch branch, and eventually wandered further up the tree and disappeared into the upper branches.

The fledgling looks bigger than the eagle - which is why I'm guessing this is Dad and the older, presumed female fledgling I nicknamed Big Sis.

I've been watching for several days, and have not seen more than one fledgling in the nest. I can't be sure it's always the same fledgling, but I suspect it is and think the other has begun his journey into the world.

Cape Coral I eaglets Cape Coral I eaglets
JudyB's photos - May 8, 2008
(nineteen weeks old)

One of them stopped by for a visit, and was there for quite a while. Spent some time calling, but no food arrived. Eventually he or she moved into the upper branches of the tree.

And that's the last confirmed sighting I've had of either of them. They are about 19 weeks old, and I think they're off. (Actually, I think one of them may have been off a couple of weeks earlier - it's been a long time since I've seen both of them together.)

One of the parents was in the nest much of the day on May 10, brought food to the nest in mid morning and ate it, then spent much of the rest of the day perched on various branches, looking sort of like a peaceful eagle. I don't know, but I'd think the sight of a parent in the nest tree would have brought an eaglet running - err - flying if they'd been in sight.

Cape Coral I eaglets Cape Coral I eaglets
JudyB's photos - May 11, 2008

I didn't have a good look - but I think it's one of the fledglings saying good-bye.

Happy travels, SIS and SIB!

All images are the property of the cam from which they were taken and/or the person credited.
Thank you for letting me use the images for this compilation.