Eaglets figuring out their roles

Screenshots from the Sydney White-bellied Sea-eagle cam over the past almost-week. News have been a little scarce on how things are at the nest, but from what I've gathered food has also been scarcer for a few days due to bad weather, and the dynamic between the eaglets has shifted in such a way that the older eaglet SE27 has begun enforcing a strict pecking order. The increased sibling rivalry and its one-sidedness has caused the cam operators to shut off the YouTube stream for now to avoid upsetting people happening upon the nestcam. The nestcam is still streaming on Twitch, though, and updates are being posted.

The most important update, I think, is that both eaglets are getting fed, and despite the increased aggression, at least as far as I can tell there haven't been any significant injuries. Life has been tough for the younger eaglet SE28 recently, but SE28 is tough, too, and is learning ways to get by without openly challenging its sibling. Though things have been a bit more intense than usual for the past few days, sibling rivalry is normal, and the older eaglet being dominant is also normal, though it's understandably not a pleasant part of their life to watch.

There's one bonk in the screenshots, but otherwise they're from the other parts of their life (as usual, includes views of fish prey).

SE28 on the left, SE27 on the right moving a stick.

Some closeups of the mother eagle Lady. At least I think it's the mother. I have a hard time telling the parents apart by other than that the one brooding and feeding them is most likely the mother, but either way, a pretty bird.

SE27 with a wing over SE28.

Lady feeding SE28, SE27 watches. SE28 is wary, a bit turned away from mother to be "sneaky" about begging for food so as to not register as competition.

SE27 gets a bite, too.

More bites for SE28.

Back and forth. SE28 nibbles on the fish during SE27's turn.

SE27 decides the sibling has had enough and is getting a bit too comfortable. This bonk didn't land, but SE28 puts its head down to signal submission, so SE27 leaves it at that.

SE28 still scores one bite afterwards.

SE27 left, SE28 right in both.

SE28 submitting, SE27 at the feeding station. SE28 didn't get any food in this feeding, but also got no bonks.

SE27 at front, SE28 facing the camera.

SE28 left, SE27 right.

Rainy day, with Lady being a mombrella for her chicks.

SE28 getting fed.

SE27 seemed content to wait this time.

SE27 closeup.

A look at pin feathers beginning to emerge along the edge of SE28's wing.

SE28 wanders over to previous feeding's leftovers at the edge of the nest while SE27 rests.

Still too young to self-feed, so that trip didn't amount to much, but good idea.

SE27 front, SE28 back.

SE28.

These are from the Twitch stream. It's mostly set to a remote camera to avoid showing the bonks (sorry to the parents for the angle that inevitably then shows their butts at feedings), but what I've seen of the feedings hasn't been bad news. SE28 is at the front here, SE27 peeking from behind them. SE27 is getting fed here while SE28 waits and doesn't try to beg while the sibling eats, but SE28 got fed for a while before this zooming, so the little one isn't waiting with an empty crop.

Latest feeding today. I'm not 100% sure which chick is which, though I'm pretty sure the one on the right is SE28 and SE27 is in the nest bowl. But either way, both are getting fed.

SE28 seems like a clever and resourceful eaglet learning to be the younger sibling in a clutch of two, which tends to mean staying out of the older eaglet's way. SE27 also isn't mean; like its sibling, it's just a baby bird looking out for its own survival, and for the older and stronger eaglet that tends to mean securing its share by force as opposed to stealth.