Nesting Season in Full Swing for NE Florida Bald Eagles Romeo & Juliet
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The American Eagle Foundation (AEF) is in its second year of streaming live HD video from a wild Bald Eagle nest in Northeast Florida. For 7 documented seasons, Bald Eagle pair ‘Romeo’ & ‘Juliet’ have returned to their nest high atop a Longleaf pine tree to renew their bond and raise a new family of eaglets. This year, a second HD camera was added—or a total of 3 HD cams on the nest, allowing for unparalleled views in the daily life of these eagles. Hundreds of thousands of viewers have watched at www.eagles.org.
On Dec. 23, 2014, the first egg hatched and was soon followed by the second egg, which hatched on Christmas Day. A contest was held for AEF members to ‘Name the Nestlings.’ 360 members entered the contest. The named pairs were narrowed down to 5, and then the entire membership was allowed to vote for their favorite selection. ‘Nick’ and ‘Noel’ were the winning names—appropriate for the Christmas season in which they were hatched.
The gender of the eaglets is never certain. However, when they reach full-size at 10 weeks old, there are certain indicators (including size), which provide evidence to make a good educated guess as to whether they are male or female. We do know that both are strong, healthy eaglets, and they are learning skills they will need to be successful in the wild.
Nick and Noel have recently begun branching, or the ability to hop-fly-jump-and-balance on nearby limbs. This will be followed by ‘fledging,’ or their first flight, at about 13 weeks of age.
To see a scrapbook page showing special moments from this season, including many videos: click here.
If you have not yet watched these eagles, we urge you to do so before they have flown the nest.
Schools Participate in Classroom Chats
Several classrooms across the country have found us and arranged for private educational chats with AEF’s knowledgeable moderators and expert cam operators. The ages of the students have ranged from 4 years old to high school. Teachers submit questions in advance to our Classroom Coordinator, Gretchen Butler, who in turn shares them with the moderators so they can be ready to quickly answer all the questions and be prepared to post informative links, including videos. The cam operator is an integral part of this virtual classroom, and pays close attention to the topic so that the camera can show the students specifically what is being discussed.
It has been extremely gratifying to hear how the students and their teachers have responded to this experience. Many regular visitors to our chat forum ‘perch’—watch but do not chat—during these private chats and learn along with the students.
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