A little over a month ago, I wrote a blog entry on Bald Eagles and how their population rebounded thanks to federal protections after the DDT lows of the 1970s. Just to refresh your memories, I also noted that the Bald Eagle population in the Chesapeake Bay area is nearing saturation. As the number of eagles exceeds available space, territory battles and injuries will become more common. Eventually, the population will balance through natural competition.
In order to study the competition between nesting Bald Eagles and intruders, the Center for Conservation Biology set up eagle nest cams along the James River. You can read more about the CCB’s project at this link. The cams run 24/7 and can be viewed via a live feed on Ustream. Once you go to Ustream, you can also sign in via Facebook and chat with a scientist and others who are watching the live feed.
In Richmond, VA, we have named our eagles James (for the river) and Virginia (for the state). Ginny, as I like to call her, laid her first egg on February 8 and her second egg a few days later on February 11.
I’m going over this again just to lay a little background in case you don’t live nearby or you simply haven’t been following the story. The whole reason for this post is that I want to show you the eaglets hatching. I think it is really amazing to be able to watch baby Bald Eagles hatch right in their own nests.
The first eaglet hatched around 7:30 p.m. on March 16, and the second hatched around 7:30 a.m. on March 18. Here is a video of the first eaglet hatching:
The next video was uploaded on March 22 and shows scenes from the first seven days of the little eaglets’ lives. They’re very fuzzy by this time:
These videos are adorable and amazing, and I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did. But beyond that, the Richmond eagles have another meaning for me. I view the CCB’s project as a story of hope. These nests and these chicks would most likely not be here today if it weren’t for the 1940 ban on eagle hunting and the 1972 ban on DDT. When we come together and compromise politically, it is possible to achieve common goals. It is possible to grow food without using pesticides and other chemicals that weaken egg shells, kill bees, and poison the waterways. The recovery of the Bald Eagle population is an example that we can all learn from, and these chicks are a symbol of that in my mind.
Thanks for reading! What do you think of the little eaglets?
One Species at a Time 