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The eaglets have been released!
We're delighted to announce that the eaglets have flown back into the wild where they can live a life of freedom. |
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Watch the July 21 story about the eaglets on KING 5.
View the July 21 coverage by Q-13 FOX.
Eaglet Update
The eaglets are thriving in their new, larger enclosure. Not only is this enclosure larger, with a greater variety of perches, but it's also nestled in the woods, allowing the eaglets to get used to the sights and sounds of the forest.
As of late July, Eaglet #1 is up to 5100 grams in weight (over 11 pounds). The larger twin is now 4370 grams (about 9.5 pounds) and the smaller twin is 3760 grams (over 8 pounds). (For more information about how these three eaglets came to us, read below.)
The hospital team reports that all three eaglets can now jump up to the highest perches in their enclosure. They're very good at going up, but a little shakier on the landing part of the game. All of this moving up and down is excellent practice for them as they prepare to return to the wild. Landing, after all, is tricky business! It's good for them to get as much practice in as they can.
Food connoisseurs will find this amusing - when the eaglets are offered a choice of fresh salmon or defrosted rats, the eaglets show a distinct preference...for rat.
To see the eaglets in their new living quarters, watch the video from KING 5.
How Did the Eaglets Come to Us?
Three eaglets came to the West Sound Wildlife Shelter inthe middle of June, all for the same reason: because their nests collapsed underneath them.
Eaglet #1
The first eaglet came on June 7. This eaglet is the oldest and currently the largest, weighing in at 4520 grams (about 10 lbs.) Last year we received an eaglet from this same nest. We thought that last year the eaglet fell out the nest because it was startled or frightened by fireworks. We were able to successfully replace that eaglet back into that nest,the same nest that this year's eaglet fell out of.
Within days of this new eaglet's arrival, we had a team ready to scale the tree and place this baby back in the nest. When we arrived, however, we found that the whole nest had broken apart. Based on evidence found below the nest, it was clear that two older siblings had also fallen, possibly weeks before this eaglet fell, but hadn't survived. Our little eaglet was lucky.
The Twins
The other two eaglets are siblings that also came from a collapsed nest. These eaglets arrived on June 13, and each has gained several hundred grams since arriving. One twin is considerably bigger than the other. All three eagles are about two months old,but the first eagle is a little older than the two twins.
"Now we've moved them to an intermediate enclosure where it imitates the wild. They'll be jumping around on things in here they would normally do in their own environment," says Mike Pratt, the Wildlife Shelter's Director of Wildlife Services.
"We'll practice them in flight and make sure they're finding food alright and then we will release them in August or September."
The birds will be released right back in Kitsap County, near where they were found. Currently, there are 16 bald eagle nests on Bainbridge Island.
The cost of care for the baby eagles is adding up, about $400 a week for food alone. Please help us by sponsoring one or all three of the eaglets!
| Below: Photos of the eaglets during their first month at the Shelter. |
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