The Last Fledge

The nest sits empty this morning, and the woods are missing a certain sound. The woodpeckers, blue jays, and so many other birds continue to call. At other times it is eerily quiet. All the eaglets are no longer nestlings. They have all graduated to fledglings or juvenile bald eagles. 

During this first year, still sporting their dark brown feathers they will be called juveniles. Once they reach 1 year old and have molted those feathers, they will be immature or sub-adult bald eagles. A bald eagle goes through many color changes in the first 5 years of life. Several groups have interesting articles about their growth and color changes.

Avian Report Indiana Nature Resources Foundation  

H58, the first to hatch, was the first to fly. She fledged on May 17th. She flew off with the confidence she has shown all season with each milestone reached.

H57, the youngest eaglet in the nest, fledged next by necessity on May 23rd. He was practicing his branching and fell when a gust of wind hit him causing him to slip off the branch. He landed on a branch below, and could then be seen flying away.  He flew by the nest about 5pm, almost landing on his sibling’s back before flying into the branches nearby. 

H59, the middle hatch, was the last to fly. She (most likely a female looking at her size now, though her measurements were not conclusive at banding) watched both her siblings, practiced wing flapping and jumping, and achieved great height, but hesitated. 

Finally in the early morning hours of May 26th, she took off from the high perch. 

The quiet of that morning did not last long. The female flew into the nest, delivering breakfast. Two fledglings followed with much noise and wings flapping. 

H58 was hungry this morning, and let her brother know in no uncertain terms this meal belonged to her. He managed a couple steals but not much.

When eating was complete, up the branch they went, taking up old positions. Calls continued to ring out. One came from H57, who was sitting on the branch below his big sister, H58. Another came from a short distance away. H59? Most likely. Having worked up the confidence to fly, she will need it again to leave whatever branch on which she is perched.

They remained on the branch for some time before flying off. H57 was the first to go.

H58 followed a few minutes later.

Bird songs continue to fill the air, even the occasional eagle’s call as the  morning rolled on. Prey came into the nest again in the early afternoon, and all 3 fledglings came home. They took turns eating and trying to steal. At the end H58 got her fill while her siblings sat together on the branch.

H59 and H57 sat together back on the branch on the afternoon of H59’s first flight. Sometimes, they talked to their sister who was out of cam view. An adult joined in the chorus at one point before they all settled down. Now that everyone is flying we will see less of them as May gives way to June. Eagle cries once heard frequently in the woods will go silent, as the other birds who share this habitat, fill the silence with their songs.

Viewers will enjoy the visits we still will have before the young eagles disperse from the area. We will watch as they become stronger and more graceful fliers.