Wingers, closeups, and beginning and near-complete juvenile plumages

Screenshots from two of the raptor nestcams I follow, first West End of Catalina Island Bald eagles, and then Cornell Red-tailed hawks.

Triplets napping together, using the rock as a pillow. Oldest chick Kana'kini in the middle, and youngest chick Ahote behind her. Middle chick Sky at the front has ended up with a piece of bark as a pillow case.

The next day I got a lot of nice closeups of the eaglets. Here's Sky standing by himself and Kana'kini (middle/back) and Ahote (right) looking like they're judging him for something, lol. Just looking around, though, eagles always look so stern with their brow ridges.

Sky is also nine weeks old on this day! Kana'kini is two days older and Ahote two days younger.

Wing and leg stretch.

Closer closeups! Ahote is in the middle now and Kana'kini on the right.

Spotted something. A parent, I suspect, considering how much Ahote and Kana'kini saw fit to yell at it.

I think the reason I thought before they were banded that Ahote might be female, too, is how calm Sky often seems compared to his siblings. :D

Kana'kini has a down feather stuck to her beak.

Ahote and Kana'kini.

Sky.

Kana'kini.

A look at the feathers at the back of her head. I just think they're neat.

Well, I did say Sky seems calm often, not always. Ahote ends up with his beak a bit too close to Sky's eye after a crop drop, and gets told off.

Later in the afternoon, wing excercises by Kana'kini.

Hop!

That's quite the hover!

Good job!

Mom Thunder bringing supper at sunset. It was a large, white bird, identified by viewers as an egret.

Chicks watching her fly away.

 

Then the Red-tailed hawks. Chicks sitting and lying around. I don't know which is which except for the first from the right being the youngest chick L4.

Preening, and... allopreening? Or maybe sibling had food on its head. They are messy eaters.

Tracking.

Pinfeathers showing on the edge of the wing.

Dad Arthur brings a bird prey.

L4 bites the prey's foot. Mom Big Red fed them soon after, but someone was a little impatient.

L4 sits up to preen. Still noticeably smaller than its siblings, and probably will be until they near their adult size, but the little one has grown so much, too, and is a normal size for its age.

Lined up. This time I know who's who: from the front: L1, L3, L4, L2.

L4 and L3 crossing necks.

L3 has moved to directly in front of mom.

L4 cuddling up to L2.

L3 watching L1 stretch its wings.

And more of L1's wings, showing off pin feathers.

L1 and L3 at the front, L4 is the lump behind L3, with head under L2's wing.
 

More pin feather-showing wingers yesterday.

Wingers right after a poop shoot, which I found funny because it reminds me of the post-litterbox zoomies cats seem to get. But birds do often have a poop just before taking off flying, to make themselves lighter, so I can see why they would be connected actions at the practice stage, too.

Whoa, slow down, buddy.

Midnight crop drop for L4 in the middle of the pile. The chicks don't need to be brooded as much now, outside of bad weather, and so mom sleeps next to them.

L4 turned two weeks old and L1 three weeks old yesterday.