Summer is upon us and so are our newest eaglets of 2016! Currently, two of the three nesting pairs in Stanley Park have extremely visible nests which conveniently accommodate a ‘bird’s eye view’ of the eaglets within.
The eagles at Prospect Point hatched two eaglets earlier than any other pair in the Park. These eaglets, about 12-14 weeks old, have already grown their primary feathers and are full-sized! Interestingly, the “bald” version of their feathers (the white head and tail) doesn’t show until their second year of age, so their feathers are primarily brown, along with their eyes. Eagle eyes turn a striking yellow color further into their maturity.
The second pair of eagles, and closest to the SPES office, is known as the Malkin Bowl pair. These eaglets are between 8 and 9 weeks old. Check out the video that a SPES staffer took from our office through her iPhone a few weeks ago. Since then, these eaglets’ fluffy grey plumage has been replaced by the stiffer dark brown primary feathers.
The third pair of eagles lives along Cathedral Trail. Unfortunately for us, this nest is too high to see inside, but we do know the adults are in the area, protecting their nest from predation by other eagles. Hopefully soon we will be able to see or hear some eaglets in this nest as well! Interestingly, we have seen one of the adult eagles, which we suspect to be the one of the Cathedral Trail pair, predating the heron colony chicks on a regular basis! The convenience of having local food within a fly-by’s reach is too much for the eagles to pass up!
– Paul Higginson, Conservation Technician https://youtu.be/y4tO8gbhUqA