Barton's Cove Eaglets
hatched April 6 and April 8 or 9
fledged June 28 (younger) & July 11 (older)
Link

 
Most pictures are from the Maine Bald Eagle Cam Discussion Forum's
thread on the Barton's Cove Eagle Cam
 

SharonFeeney's photo - June 18
(mantling)

SharonFeeney's report on a visit to the nest via kayak: "June 18, 6:30 to 8:15 pm, I paddled around the eagles where both were standing on the edge of the nest. I'd guess it was around 7pm when mom dove down from her perch, but I didn't see where she landed as she went around the other side of the island out of my view. Seconds later, she flew up to the nest with food. Those chicks were squealing from the time I saw her take off like a bullet from her perch. It looked like just one of them got the food - and it appeared to be eating it all by itself. When they settled down afterward, they did a lot of wing stretching, but I didn't see any hopping around or branching. They both have amazingly different voices, and when one of them was vocalizing in response to the food, it sounded like it had two totally different pitches in its voice. I wished I had a tape recorder... "

SharonFeeney's photo - June 20

Link to the Rest of Sharon's Pictures of her June 20 trip to the nest

SharonFeeney's photo - June 28

link to SharonFeeney's video of younger (lighter-colored) eaglet fledging June 28, about noon

SharonFeeney's photo - June 28

"After paddling a couple of miles away from the nest, I returned on the opposite side of the island from where I last saw the fledgling. As I turned the corner, there it was - and it was so close that I was about to paddle right by it. I never would have purposefully been this close and I hope I didn't spook it nearly as much as it surprised me. I had last seen it on the opposite side of the island from this."
(The fledged eaglet returned to the nest that evening.)

link to the rest of Sharon's photos of the fledgling

Aline's photo - July 7
(13 weeks old)

The darker, older eaglet is doing a lot of branching, but Sharon hasn't ever seen both of them away from the nest at the same time, so there's no evidence that the older eaglet has fledged.

SharonFeeney's photo - July 10

link to SharonFeeney's July 9 video of "Juvie Flying"

SharonFeeney's photo - July 11
These are not Choco and Vanilla - and it seems unlikely
they'd be here unless Choco had fledged....

SharonFeeney reported: "July 11, 11:55 am binocular sighting - One adult eagle on Mom's branch with a juvi perched next to her. One fledgling on the ground under mom's branch; a very safe spot to be. I was there for only about five minutes, and the juvi at water's edge under mom appeared to be doing well. It was strutting around in about a 15 or 20 ft wide area and flapped its wings a few times. Hopefully, I can get at least another binocular view in later today. Choco and Vanilla have done well thanks to Mom and Dad Barton!"

TakeCare's photo - July 14
(14 weeks old)

link to SharonFeeney's video "Branch to Branch" (40 sec)
possibly the newly fledged eaglet?

Aline's photo - July 15

SharonFeeney reported July 25: "I went for a two hour paddle with a friend between 2:45 and 4:45. There was one fledgling on the island which flew to the nest when we were within eyesight of it. It was still there when we left. One parent spent about three or four minutes flying around the cove at a lower altitude and for longer than I've ever seen it. Breathtaking.
After leaving the cove and paddling about 1.5 miles, we heard a lot of commotion. Then, what must have been this year's fledgling flew out from the trees and kept circling quickly upward. About 20 seconds later, about 10 or 15 crows flew up and after it, but they never went high enough. That eagle flew overhead and around for about 3 or 4 minutes. Breathtaking.
When I was putting the boat on the car, I could hear at least three eagles at the nest and it sounded like there was a food delivery there. There were no fisher people there today, nor were there motorboats anywhere near the nest area. Dad is a great fisherman (and I'll bet mom is too)."

TakeCare's photo - July 25
TakeCare: "...after reading your post I 'tuned in' and there was one, minding its own business - very shortly to be joined by the other. It did look more playful than confrontational. They are getting personalities - I still can't tell them apart - but their interaction is showing a pattern of friendly rivalry!"

Later that evening, SharonFeeney: "Wow did you see that? One of the parents brought food. Both lets showed up in a heartbeat and the first let to take the food flew off of the nest with it! The other didn't fly after it, but I'm impressed!"

Aline's photo - July 30
link to the rest of Aline's photos in the series

SharonFeeney: "OH am I ever glad you caught that Aline!
I was at the Cove from 7 - 8:30 tonight. I saw both parents and only one 'let (who was, again, vocal almost constantly for more than an hour). I happened to be taping the chattering because the crows became active when Dad came in with dinner! He brought it in and then perched in a nearby tree while mom ate whatever the 'let was previously working on when Dad brought the food. It looked like the 'let stole mom's food from her after it ate whatever dad brought."
Video: "The usual dark, bad camera, far away view"

"After this video, I wish I could have filmed what I saw from mom, but it happened too quickly and I didn't dare blink. She left the nest with the food in her talon and made a small circle around the nest. As she circled, she took the food from her talon and put it in her beak. Then, she took it out of her beak with the other talon as she turned the food around in the other direction. All I can say about the food was that it looked dark and supple but I don't know if it was alive at all (why else would she perform such a maneuver - see below!).
I left my computer on when I left home, and I just found the video of that time that I saw at the nest. The cam view is awesome! I'm not positive, but I think it was just before the pics that Aline got (and my computer shut off by then). Here it is and it turns out that there was a few times when mom and the 'let stole food from each other! I do like this clip!"
Video: Great eagle "fix" 7 min (I just had to)
"I have no idea how that 'let can peep and eat at the same time and for so long."