Long Island Proud: The Long Island Bald Eagle Eaglets Ready to Go

To make the return of the Bald Eagle to Long Island story a complete success there has to be continuous successful offspring, called “eaglets.” The above photo is of this year’s Centerport Bald Eagle eaglets. Dr. Rebecca Grella, an ecologist and an evolutionary biologist provided the photo of the eaglets that is above the article. She had this to say last week, “The eaglets are going to start branching soon. They are super bonded, they are totally ready to fly, wing flapping is commonplace now at the nest. They also are jumping and using their talon and beaks a lot as tools. Really cool!” Dr. Grella added, “The top one is who I believe to be the Female eaglet because of her size, Bigger than Eaglet2. Everyone is calling them Willie and Birdie after the William K. Vanderbilt of Centerport's family... “

So what did they eat? According to US Fish and Wildlife Service, “The US Eagle chicks are fed a steady diet of fish, occasionally supplemented by waterfowl (ducks, geese) or water birds (gulls, cormorants). About 85% of a chick's diet will typically consist of fish such as carp, white sucker, shad, bullhead and sunfish. The adults capture and tear the fish into small strips, offering them to the chicks. The chicks snatch the food from the adult's beak and swallow it whole. An eagle chick will eat as much as it can at a single feeding, storing food in its crop. The crop, an organ located near the base of the bird's neck, will enlarge as it fills, resembling a golf ball.”

How long usually does it take until they can fly? Again the US Fish and Wildlife Service states, “The chicks will be nearly full grown at 9 weeks of age. They will add some weight as they develop their flight muscles after they leave the nest. Their wingspan will be as large or slightly larger than the adults at this time.” The report also says, “Once most of their wing and tail feathers are developed, the eaglets can finally leave the nest. First flights usually occur at 9 or 10 weeks of age and are preceded by vigorous exercising and flapping. When a male and female are in the same nest, the male may fledge first. Sometimes the adults will force the eaglets to fly. When chicks leave the nest they usually glide to a nearby tree or stump, returning to the nest tree frequently and continuing to be fed by the adults. At first the eaglets have difficulty landing on tree limbs. However, if they land on the ground, they need open space to flap their wings to become airborne. While eaglets improve their landing and flying skills, they depend on their parents for food. The adults will bring food to where the eaglets are perched. Eaglets will stay close to the nest and nest tree during the first few weeks after fledging. Within one month after fledging, eaglets will soar and drift over the water.

Dr. Grella reported that she thinks the eaglets left the nest today. She has a view from her home of the nest. (She asked I not mention her exact location.)

So what happens next? According to US Fish and Wildlife Service, “The young eagle will spend the next 4 years of its life wandering across eastern North America looking for summering and wintering areas where food is accessible. The mortality rate for eagles during their first year of life is greater than 50%, but once they have learned to hunt and forage successfully their chances of reaching adulthood are good. When it begins to mature at age 4, an eagle seeks a mate and establishes a territory. The territory is usually located within 250 miles of the nest where the eagle was hatched. There, the new pair of eagles will construct their own nest but often don't produce eggs or young during their first year as a pair. They'll return in following years to raise young of their own. The following link is where the helpful information came from. Feel free to check it out.

(https://www.fws.gov/uploadedFiles/Region_5/NWRS/Central_Zone/Montezuma/EagleFacts.pdf)

T.J. Clemente is a Patch columnist.