Watching the eagles

[9unfold]

One of Lipstick and Guys trio has fledged! Here's the big moment ..

The moment was always to be expected but still feels like their new beginnings means that watching their progress from egg onwards is ending. Born free is right.

 

[Long Lashes]

The moment was always to be expected but still feels like their new beginnings means that watching their progress from egg onwards is ending. Born free is right.

That sums it up perfectly @9unfold I hope you don't mind me saying, but I've been thrilled that you've been interested in the eagles.

I thought this was just going to be an obsession of the lovely @Michelle Stevens and myself, but to have had you along with us together with @Biggie and @DallasFanForever has made it even more special.

 

[Long Lashes]

I believe a second eaglet from Lipstick and Freedoms nest has also fledged ....

"hey, where did he go?"

and apparently one of the trio was out all night but returned this morning ...

typical teenager staying out all night ..Lol!



From Lipstick and Guys trio we just have one eaglet who hasn't yet made a flight away from the nest, but I think their might be a day or so difference in ages?




The first eaglet hatched for Lipstick and Guy 18/03/22 .. they've changed a lot since they looked like this

this was approx 11 weeks ago.

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Celeste and Lunar are a few days behind the trio and they're still practice flying ..

the wing span is incredible, wow!



And one of these two seems to have discovered one of the web-cams and is using it as a perch...

"get down its MY turn"



Celeste and Lunar are four days younger than the first of the Trio and hatched on 22/03/22

they were this tiny and helpless just approx 10 weeks ago

 

[Biggie]

It's quite amazing how much has happened in the 10 weeks since the Eagles hatched. Echoing the comments above, the time would arrive when Lunar, Celeste and the trio fledged and left their mark on the wider world.

@Long Lashes and @Michelle Stevens excellent work on this thread. Educational, entertaining and now becoming emotional.

 

[Trick-or-Treat Stevens]

A windy morning with the Lipstick/Guy trio.

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Meanwhile with Celeste and Lunar.

They are sound sleepers.

Testing their wings on the breeze.

I believe a second eaglet from Lipstick and Freedoms nest has also fledged ....

"hey, where did he go?"

They are moving along quite well. To see this still makes me wish #4 had made it. How grand would it have been to have four testing their wings.

and apparently one of the trio was out all night but returned this morning ...

typical teenager staying out all night ..Lol!

LOL, I wonder what the cleaners think of all of this movement.

From Lipstick and Guys trio we just have one eaglet who hasn't yet made a flight away from the nest, but I think their might be a day or so difference in ages?

True. Wouldn't it be something if the eldest is the last to fledge.

The first eaglet hatched for Lipstick and Guy 18/03/22 .. they've changed a lot since they looked like this

this was approx 11 weeks ago.

Wow, #4 is here! How quick they grow.

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Celeste and Lunar are a few days behind the trio and they're still practice flying ..

the wing span is incredible, wow!

Impressive!

And one of these two seems to have discovered one of the web-cams and is using it as a perch...

"get down its MY turn"

They always seem to be camera friendly. Imagine someone watching us 24/7.

Celeste and Lunar are four days younger than the first of the Trio and hatched on 22/03/22

they were this tiny and helpless just approx 10 weeks ago

I do love these images of them when they were so young. They were so cute.

 

[Long Lashes]

Lipstick and Guys trio are all enjoying regular short flights away from the nest...

its always a relief to see them return safely..

they always come home when they're hungry..

Lol! .. Lipstick and Guy don't hang around much these days , they drop off the food and make a quick exit




I'm going to miss these three when they eventually leave for the big wide world ..

In the meantime they need to learn how to get their own food.

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More dramatic action has been taking place with Lunar and Celeste. They've both been very active recently and manging to scramble onto one of the branches on the nest ..

Unfortunately yesterday Lunar lost his footing and fell off the branch and right out of the nest.

From what I can gather he is on a lower branch further down from the nest. He was being bothered by some Crows who where circling him, but good ole' Liberty and Freedom came and scared them off and they seem to be keeping an eye on him.



Here he is out in the wild ...

Liberty (or Freedom) nearby on the look out for predators ...

Meanwhile Celeste sleeps all alone ...

This also happened last year with Fluff (a solo eaglet of Lib and Freedom) he too fell from the same branch, but he never returned to the nest it seems he liked his freedom too much, but Lunar and Celeste have been so close and have a strong bond which might entice Lunar back home.


I'm hoping Lunar will somehow make his way back today? Or perhaps Celeste will take his first flight and go looking for his sibling?

 

[Long Lashes]

Unfortunately yesterday Lunar lost his footing and fell off the branch and right out of the nest.

UPDATE Its okay! ignore everything I've said..Lol!




Clever Lunar found her way back to the nest this morning ....

"did you miss me?"




I couldn't believe my eyes when I checked Liberty and Freedoms nest and our wanderer had returned

 

[Long Lashes]

I can't see Lipstick, Guy and their roving trio today as their web-cam is off air. Hopefully it will be back up and running again soon.





Meanwhile, Lunar keeps coming and going from Freedom and Liberty's nest, she even stayed out all night,

I've stopped worrying about her now as she didn't seem injured or scared from her fall from the nest. It seems that taste of unexpected freedom she had yesterday has given her the confidence to go off and explore some more.

"where are you? please come back,"

"is that you up there?"




Back together again and having a snooze after enjoying a meal provided by Freedom

And she's off again

 

[Trick-or-Treat Stevens]

A close encounter with one of Lipstick and Guy's eaglets.

Hey, that's my foot!

 

[Trick-or-Treat Stevens]

Lunar and Celeste have fledged!

The empty nest.

Liberty and Freedom were successful again this year. Surely Lunar and Celeste will return for the next few weeks to feed so the show isn't over.

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Meanwhile the Lipstick and Guy trio still explore their new world but use the nest as a feeding area.

Feeding time yesterday ....

Guy takes a quick move to get his meal.

 

[Trick-or-Treat Stevens]

I've stopped worrying about her now as she didn't seem injured or scared from her fall from the nest. It seems that taste of unexpected freedom she had yesterday has given her the confidence to go off and explore some more.

"where are you? please come back,"

They are ready for the world beyond their nest.

"is that you up there?"

Maybe your daft alien friends.

Back together again and having a snooze after enjoying a meal provided by Freedom

I so adore these sleeping eaglet images.

 

[Long Lashes]

A close encounter with one of Lipstick and Guy's eaglets.

Now that's what I call an action photo, its fab :bravo1:

Hey, that's my foot!

Oh my goodness :laughing: those teenage eagles have become very playful and cheeky.

Guy takes a quick move to get his meal.

Lol! .. get in there Guy! how things have changed from when he used to gently feed his babies, they'd knock him flat now.

Lunar and Celeste have fledged!

Yes, I had a shock when I looked in on this morning and saw this ...

I've not got a case of the 'empty nest syndrome blues' .

Luckily for us, at the moment they do both keep popping back to the nest. I wonder where they slept last night? .I like to think they were both sharing the same branch as Liberty and Freedom

.

I so adore these sleeping eaglet images.

So do I, here is one of Lipstick and Guys trio flat out back on the nest last night ..

:love5:

 

[Long Lashes]

For the time being Lipstick and Guys nest is very busy when all the family are home. I don't think we will get many more family images like this one, especially as the Trio become more independent..

It might just be the angle of this photo, but Lipstick and Guy now look smaller than their brood. How well these parents have done to feed those three hungry eaglets for all these weeks.



I hope this popular look-out branch is strong having to bare the weight of all three ...

In the meantime, the Trio keep coming and going as they explore the near area ...

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Like teenagers everywhere, Lunar and Celeste are now treating their nest like a hotel

Freedom (Dad) arrived early this morning with a fish breakfast for them ....

"anyone know where my teenagers have gone?"





These two characters often make me laugh ...

 

[Trick-or-Treat Stevens]

A landing by either Lunar or Celeste.

Surveying the lush green trees as Summer arrives.

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A hungry trio at twilight.

They don't forget the nest as the move further on their daily journeys.

 

[Long Lashes]

All out teenage eagles are now enjoying their first taste of freedom, although they're all still returning to the nests for food.


Here's some action from Guy and Lipsticks nest ...

^^ if you look to the left you can see either Lipstick or Guy fly past followed (approx after 3secs) by one of their trio.




The trio often meet up and return home for the nights ..

Its wonderful to see how more controlled their flying has become.

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A landing by either Lunar or Celeste.

Just look at those cute little legs





and look at these glorious wings ..

Here's Lunar/Celeste having a rest back on the nest. What a peculiar resting position for a bird, he must've been comfy though because he stayed this way for about an hour ..

"you lookin' at me?"




Liberty, Freedom, Lunar and Celeste have had quite a few unexpected visitors to the nest this week, I'm going to post the pictures on a new post below this one because there are quite a few.

 

[Long Lashes]

IMPOSTERS ON LIBERTY AND FREEDOMS NEST​

Here are a few nosy wildlife popping onto to the nest, I suspect they where looking for scraps?



Mr Squirrel was back .. remember him from the early nest building days a good few weeks ago?

A stunning woodpecker ..

Is this a racoon ?

A Blue Jay - very cute, but I recall one of these little chaps taunting Liberty and Freedoms young eaglets a couple of years ago..

What type of bird is this one? does anyone know?

What a busy nest

 

[Trick-or-Treat Stevens]

IMPOSTERS ON LIBERTY AND FREEDOMS NEST​

Here are a few nosy wildlife popping onto to the nest, I suspect they where looking for scraps?



Mr Squirrel was back .. remember him from the early nest building days a good few weeks ago?

He's a curious little fellow.

A stunning woodpecker ..

A Flicker! What a great image of this woodpecker.

Is this a racoon ?

Indeed it is with it's mask. Do you have these in the Land of Long Lashes?

A Blue Jay - very cute, but I recall one of these little chaps taunting Liberty and Freedoms young eaglets a couple of years ago..

Blue Jays are fun to look at but are noisy.

What type of bird is this one? does anyone know?

It looks to be a Warbler of some sort to me. What a great set of images.

What a busy nest

Indeed!

 

[9unfold]

Its wonderful to see how more controlled their flying has become.

I never would have thought about it, but flying is a skill that even eagles have to learn and will improve with experience.

Some really excellent posts, thanks.

 

[Long Lashes]

. Do you have these in the Land of Long Lashes?

As far as I'm aware @Michelle Stevens we don't have racoons here in the UK.

It looks to be a Warbler of some sort to me.

Its a beautiful bird isn't it, very pretty wings.





Things are becoming more and more quiet on the nests these days as our Eaglets explore and learn about the world around them. I still log-in to the Web-cams, but the eagles are rarely there so its a real treat when one or more of them is home ..

The Trio still occasionally get together for a chill out ....

Wouldn't it have been extra special to have had number 4 with them, he was such a cute little guy




Here's one of The Trio having a rant ...

I wonder who he's shouting at?

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Over in Liberty and Freedoms nest ... both Lunar and Celeste still return for brief visit's or when they're hungry. Here's one of them coming home for breakfast ...

Here's Freedom dropping off some food quickly followed by Lunar/Celeste ...

Poor Freedom his eaglets have lost their manners and will push him out of the way .

 

[Long Lashes]

I never would have thought about it, but flying is a skill that even eagles have to learn and will improve with experience.

Yes, its fascinating to watch them over the weeks to see how they develop,

I think flying is an inbuilt instinct as I've never seen one of the parents giving instructions....

but I would imagine the parents are now showing them how to hunt or scrounge for their own food. I'd love to see one of the eaglets return to the nest with their own caught fish.

Some really excellent posts, thanks.

I can't say this enough, but I'm so thrilled you've been interested