The SWFL eaglets are getting their juvenile plumage of pennaceous feathers, and are still growing in size, too. Warning again for messy carnivore nest that has various prey leftovers lying around, and a closeup of one such leftover in a few screenshots.
Starting with a screenshot from the morning of February 22nd. Both chicks (E17 behind E18) are looking up at... the camera? No, dad was on a higher branch of the nest tree, so I'm pretty sure they're looking at him. Such cute faces, though.
And here's how they looked last night! E17 on the right has gone from a few black feathers dotting the grey down to looking almost completely covered, in a week and a half. There's still big patches of down showing especially everywhere that's obscured when they have their wings tucked in like that, and even some natal down wisps still clinging to their heads, but won't be long now that they start looking like proper birds.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Here's two days from that first screenshot in the post. E17 is on the left, E18 has a wing around them. Coping with the hot weather on the nest rails, panting to cool themselves.
Later in the afternoon the tree trunk's shadow starts providing some relief.
E18 doing wing exercises while E17 watches.
Sprawled all over the nest.
A little conversation by beaking. Not really pecking - they're starting to get along better now.
E17 does some wing exercises, too, while E18 sleeps some more.
E17 finds a nestover and starts picking at it.
Not sure if they got any food out of it, but good job learning to self-feed! They're even holding it with their feet like a grown raptor, although still while sitting down instead of standing up. Need to work on that balance and leg strenght, too.
Looking around.
Yes, hello. You're adorable.
Mom acting as a parasol the next day, but the kids are too big to fit under her both at the same time anymore. E17 in the sun, E18 in the shade.
Good news to anyone concerned about whether the younger sibling E18 is getting enough to eat. Look at that crop!
Napping on the air plant mom brought to the nest. Looks comfy, or maybe it's just E18 having a wing around E17 again.
E17 does a crop drop (moving food from the crop to the stomach, often looks like yawns or big swallows).
Speaking of which, E18 decides sibling makes a better pillow for their crop than the air plant does.
Snuggles.
And a closeup of E18 to close the day.
Didn't keep a very close eye on them for a few days, and when I check in E17's wingspan reaches across the whole nest! E18 did not appreciate getting hit with wings during big sibling's workout.
A bite is what you get for that!
All is calm for a while.
E18's turn to exercise. Those are some pretty big wings, too, already.
Caught E17 mid-blink.
And time for sleep again. E18 left, E17 right.
E17 closeups.
More E17 closeups, of their growing tail feathers.
And wake up the sibling, too, by wagging your tail in their face. :)
To properly demonstrate how cute those eaglet tail wiggles look, here's the gif I made of baby E15 (also featuring her younger clutchmate sibling E16) last season:
Edit: One more E18 for good measure:
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