Lots of nice zooming of cuddly chicks at Sydney White-bellied Sea-eagle cam yesterday and today. Here's the younger eaglet SE28 holding the spotlight, while older sibling SE27 sleeps just off-frame to their left.
(post includes a few views of prey, but feedings are not shown this close up)
SE27's beak making an appearance in the corner.
There's SE27. Also these closeups give a good look at the feather growth on both. Those contour feathers are starting to be a bit more than dark dots, with patterns emerging.
SE28 wing stretch.
SE27 standing up for a bit!
And both sleeping with their beak tucked in back feathers. SE27 front, SE28 back.
Both stretch out a wing at the same time...
SE27 standing up again, during feeding. Their legs take a while to develop enough strength to hold them up, and so far the eaglets have pretty much just stood up for a few seconds at a time to do a poop shoot over the nest edge. Good to see them taking first steps towards being able to pin and hold their prey by themselves with their feet one day.
3 comments:
That feather growth was really fast.
And their heads have some brown which the adults don't? If I had to take a guess, I'd say it's for camouflage purposes.
...But then why do the hatchlings not have that? Mmmm perhaps not enough/necessary nutrients in the egg..
Anyways it's nice to see them growing and putting wings on top of each other. :D
Their juvenile plumage is mottled brown for the first year, and every moult after that adds more white it until at 4-5 years old they look like adults. The hatchlings are constantly guarded and brooded by parents, so I don't suppose they need to blend into their surroundings much. In some other birds that venture outside their nest much sooner, the baby down can be very camoflaged.
Thank you for the answer!
Those Golden Plover chicks tho, they're in the octopus tier!
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