Eagle elegance and opulence

More screenshots of SWFL Bald eagle nest's two quickly growing eaglets. Both are now four weeks old. Post shows prey (fish, bird, and mammal).

A messy but well-fed E20 from yesterday.

 

From four days ago. Mom Harriet serving fish breakfast for E19.

And for E20.

E20 intercepting a fish piece before E19 gets it. And didn't get a bonk for it.

E20 sleeping on the left, E19 meanwhile does some experiments, and nibbles on various materials within reach: sticks, grass, a pellet, fishtail.

Hello!

E20 on the left with a wing over E19. Mom had bad aim with a poop shoot while perching above the nest, and the eaglets ended up with some sunscreen on their beaks (and E20 on the left wing).

Hello again, E19. Don't worry, it'll wash off.

E20 doesn't look so bad on this side.

For a more photogenic parent-chick interaction that I missed taking screenshots of, here's a video of dad M15 allopreening E19.

And here's dad feeding both eaglets (E20 front/lower) a bird prey. They got a good defeathering lesson watching him prepare it. The nest also got a soft feather lining, and the eaglets some more decoration in the form of stray feathers that got flung in their direction during the defeathering.

Dad (left) and mom perching together at sunrise.

 

E20 does wing exercises, E19 tries not to get hit.

E20, E19. The woolly thermal down is now their main feather covering, with some wisps of lighter natal down remaining especially on the head, and pennaceous feathers are starting to sprout from under the down elsewhere on the body, too, in addition to the flight feathers, looking like little, black dots. They are officially at their adorably awkward-looking phase, enjoy it while it lasts.

Just E20.

E20 using E19's tail as pillow.

Dad feeding both eaglets fish. E19 on the left, E20 in the middle.

E20, E19. Sleeping at the nest rails. They've grown so much! They were barely bigger than their heads are now when they hatched.

A bit closer look. The pin feathers for the primaries and alula are showing well on E20's wing.

E19 closeup, looking up at dad.

E20 sleeping, E19 preening.

The chicks had a veritable feast yesterday afternoon. Harriet vocalizing when she sees M flying to the nest with the first course, a fish...

...with which he lands right on top of poor E20! But no harm done, except to E20's now fish-juicy hairdo.

Harriet feeding the fish to the eaglets. E20 left, E19 right.

E20 eating.

Soon M came back with another fish, an armoured catfish this time. He snacked on it himself, and when Harriet seemingly criticized him for that he offered some bites to the eaglets, but they were starting to be pretty full and weren't very interested at the moment. M left the nest again.

And barely ten minutes after that, he came back with a small rabbit, which Harriet started feeding to the eaglets. E20 closer to mom, with a feather fashionably stuck to their beak in addition to the new fish-scented hair gel.

M still brought one more small food item soon after, but I'm not sure what it was. Both parents stayed at the nest for a while and did their best to stuff some more food in their well-fed babies. Mom Harriet on the left, dad M15 on the right. E20 higher on screen and E19 lower.

Mom feeding E20, dad feeding E19.

Food coma nap. E20 higher, E19 lower.

Supper with leftovers. Harriet feeding E20 from the armoured catfish on the left, M and E19 on the right with what's either the leftovers of the first fish of the feast or yet another new food item, I'm not sure. Either way, no one went to bed hungry at this nest last night.