Post
by Sandy_W » Thu May 23, 2019 2:09 pm
Hi Eastvan Girl,
I am a zoomer at Delta and came on board a little time before the eaglets hatched there last year. I was new to Ma and Pa but quickly fell in love with them. And then June 1st, we lost Pa and eventually he was replaced by Ma's current mate, Trooper. And I must say rightfully named for what he did at the end of last season. Anyway, I wanted to share what Jean wrote at the end of the season last year that pretty well describes the history of last year's season at Delta, which is below. Ma had some challenges as there were several suitors and one in particular we were not fond of. This one would come to the nest and eat the food in front of squeeing eaglets. It was hard to watch for sure. One male called UME helped her until Trooper (AME) showed up to take care of her and the eaglets. He was so calm and so respectful of Ma and her two little ones. We fell for Trooper and hoping he would be Ma's selection for a new mate. And he was.
I check in on another nest in Pennsylvania but do not follow extensively. So I may not have the story complete. It seems the female was in a fight for the territory and she was chased off right after the eggs were hatched. The new eggs were destroyed by the new lady and/or a snow storm. The new lady tried to take over the nest and the male was not in total agreement but time marched on and she stayed for awhile. After about three or four weeks (if i remember correctly), the female showed up again and the new lady left. It was thought the female had been injured and needed to heal. I believe this pair have two eaglets this season.
Here is Jean's season closing for last year when we lost Pa and how Ma ended up with a new mate. I am including the date information to have an understanding of how old the eaglets were when Pa went missing and when they fledged. I hope it helps you on some level.
Ma laid her first egg on March 3, 2018 at 2:57pm. followed by the second egg on March 6, 2018 at 2:50pm. Pips did appear in both eggs early in April and on April 11th at 8:05pm and April 12th at 6:56am two chicks were hatched..........Ma and Pa had shown their expertise by cooling down the first egg to make the hatches close together in time..............a mere 11 hours apart! What pros! The world welcomed Dusk and Dawn, named after the time of day they were hatched.
Our eaglets grew quickly and were well fed. Both Ma and Pa tended to them. But on June 1, 2018 everything changed on this nest. Dusk and Dawn were 7 and a half weeks old. Ma and Pa were seen in the nest tree together in the late afternoon but they seemed to be watching something. They flew to the evergreen trees just before 5pm. Pa left from there and was never seen again. Although several people tried to search the area and OWL was contacted, searches for him were unsuccessful. For the next couple of weeks there was danger in the area. Several stranger eagles appeared and some challenged Ma on the nest. She spent much of her time trying to keep her eaglets safe and secure. Fortunately a male came along, UME (unidentified male eagle) who protected her and the nest. He managed to fend off several eagles, and wore the battle scars on his feet......but the eaglets remained safe and the nest was secure. Unfortunately UME disappeared too after that and no one knows what happened to him. Because Ma is such a beauty she attracted the attention of another male AME (adult male eagle). The rest of the season was spent with Ma and AME guarding the area and keeping things safe and calm here.
Dusk took his big first flight on June 30, 2018 at 6:51am. Dawn followed later on July 4, 2018 at 9:30am. They were seen coming and going to and from the tree as well as on the ground, on the barn roof, in the surrounding trees and under the nest tree itself. But eventually they left and were not seen again. Dusk’s last confirmed sighting was July 16, 2018. Dawn’s last confirmed sighting was the next day on July 17, 2018. These two were healthy and fledged on time. Great job Ma and Pa!
After the eaglets left, Ma and AME were seen perched together and flying from pole to pole, making themselves visible to all around. Ma seemed to be comfortable with AME around allowing him in the nest after the eaglets were gone. They both brought greenery to the nest and began to refresh it. Ma was last seen on July 23, 2018. After she left, AME stayed around and protected the area from the few adults that were still hanging around. He was there most mornings, bringing in more greenery and watching for any unwanted visitors. He was seen on the poles in the evenings. But it was time for AME to take a much needed break too and he was last seen on the morning of August 2, 2018. At the end of the season AME was given the name Trooper. He was no longer nameless.
“Eagles: When they walk, they stumble. They are not what one would call graceful. They were not designed to walk. They fly. And when they fly, oh, how they fly, so free, so graceful. They see from the sky what we never see.” – Unknown