Eaglet feedings

Some screenshots from SWFL eagle cam. Warning that most of the later ones will have a clear view of the gory prey (a rabbit).

Dad M15 feeding fish to the younger eaglet E18. E17 got fed by mom Harriet a bit earlier, but I missed that. Now E17 seems to only be interested in the shade of dad's tail.

E18 with a big crop after feeding. That's about as big as their whole head!

There's still sibling rivalry during feedings, but E18 has gotten smart about staying out of E17's way a lot of the time to avoid those beak bonks, and is good at quickly grabbing food when it's on offer, doing great at learning survival skills, as is E17 by defending their access to food. E17 is a lot more pleasant company when not hungry.

Food coma naps for everyone. E17 on the left, E18 on the right.

Later dad brings home a rabbit to feed to the kids. (Warning, in case you missed it at the beginning of the post, that the following screenshots will show blood and in general the prey in a pretty torn apart state). E17 gets fed first while E18 waits, but there's plenty of rabbit to go around, and soon E17 has a full crop and their mind set on napping.

Dad reaches towards E18 to offer the food E17 didn't want anymore, and to invite the younger eaglet to eat, too. The pecking order is enforced by the eaglets among themselves, the parents mostly hold out food and whichever eaglet is there to grab it gets it, but they do also go to the eaglets sometimes instead of expecting them to scoot to where the food is, and Harriet and M15 seem very attentive to that any eaglet in their nest is an eaglet that gets fed. That food is abundant where they live helps.

Chomp!

Yum, gut spaghetti.

E18 gobbles it all up.

E18 continues to have the feeding to themselves, while E17 sometimes watches and then plops down to doze off again. At the end of the feeding E18 got a bit too close with their beak, though, and got a bonk for that.

I like M lingering near E18 in that last screenshot, and E18 grabbing the food like they're stealing it. Baby says it's mine! and you can't have it back! Dad lets them be a sneaky thief like they will need to learn to be, but watches closely to make sure the bite isn't too big and to quickly offer more to "steal".

E18 has such a messy beak by the time they're starting to be done. Still looking cute with blood and guts all over your face is a skill, too, I suppose.

E17 decides that what's left of the prey makes a great pillow, so it looks like the feeding is over. M backs away to let them sleep.

E17 wakes up to bite the rabbit's foot. Is that good luck?

Zzz. E17 still left, E18 right.

E17 up again.

Does a little preen and a scritch, then moves around a bit of nest material like a big eagle.

Harriet arrives to find her chicks already stuffed with food, but manages to get both to still eat some more before it's time for bed for the night.