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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 มิ.ย. 2024
- First I have to be completely honest with you. I have been doubting myself over the last 2 weeks, wondering which eaglet is which. I have been observing them closely from day one as you know. Vic was hatched on April 6 and Sid April 7.
Vic was ahead of Sid in the first few weeks by virtue of that 24 hr head start. We all saw Vic’s dominance from the beginning. Vic would harass Sid in order to be fed first, establishing the pecking order.
As the weeks passed I easily identified who was who by behaviour and the stage of feather development.
4 weeks ago they started to spread their wings wide open and hop about. I could tell who was who by not only behaviour, but also by markings on their flight feathers. Vic had two whitish flight feathers side by side on the right wing.
Vic was the first eaglet to branch. Vic continued to use the exact same branch for a few days and then suddenly Sid jumped up to the spot where the adults, mostly Ellie, would sleep at night.
Suddenly Sid was flapping and hopping up to the stump and within days, moving to many nearby branches. To my surprise, Vic continued to use the same branch however moving a bit further out on it each day.
So about 2-3 weeks ago I noticed that one eaglet seemed a bit larger than the other. I just assumed it was the first born Vic but no it was Sid. Confused yet? I was.
I know I am going out on a limb here (lol) but I am now going to say that Vic is male and Sid female.
WHY …
First the nurturing behaviour of Sid. It’s been quite noticeable for some time. We’ve all witnessed it on a few videos I have posted. We’ve seen Sid grooming Vic and at one point even feeding Vic.
Secondly, and I do need to research this, Sid when side by side with Vic, seems longer in length. Not body weight per se but overall length.
Lastly the tail feathers on Sid are just slightly longer too. I have noticed this with Ellie when next to Eddy.
NOW FOR THE BIG NEWS!!
Sid yesterday morning fledged the nest/tree completely. We saw “her” in our neighbours' large cedar tree. Actually Helen witnessed her landing and reported it was not very graceful. I was lucky to record her leaving that tree and she returned to the nest as Ellie called out to signal “lunch time”.
Later in the afternoon, I watched Sid perch close to the nest watching Vic flap and hop up and down in the nest. I could swear that she was closely inspecting every move Vic made. Watch in the video how Sid tilts her head back and forth as Vic earnestly tries numerous times to perfect the take off and landing.
An hour or so later, I could not find any sign of either eaglet and Helen came in to report that she could see them in one of the adjacent trees. She watched them awkwardly take flight and fly back and forth to various landing positions. Helen also reported that they were having some issues with the landing gear, essentially dangling and swinging their legs under them while they flew. It’s like watching your child learn to ride a bike wobbling nervously as they try to master the nuances of flight .
So just like the book says that eaglets usually fledge the nest around the 10th - 12th week of life. Right on schedule.
So with mixed emotions I realize I will be seeing less and less of these two as the days go on.
To my surprise, as if they knew I would be missing them, all 3 (with the exception of Eddy) returned for the whole evening to feast both on duck and chicken. I watched them for at least 2-3 hrs realizing moments like this become rarer and rarer as they learn to fend for themselves.
Oh and like typical teenagers they left the nest covered in dirty laundry, food scraps and garbage of all descriptions. I expect to catch a glimpse of them from time to time dropping by for a free meal!
YAY 🎇👏 congratulations & thanks for the video 😊
Excited to seem Sid and Vic together ❤
Big day for Sid❤love