Subject: Bald Eagles in the Seattle area
Date: Apr 14 00:25:34 1996
From: "Martin Muller" - MartinMuller at msn.com


Greetings tweetsters,

One down, five to go... That's how I could describe the situation at the Bald
Eagle nests I'm monitoring. For three of them I have exact dates of
egg-laying, including the early date of May 4 for Discovery Park.

As expected they are also the first to hatch the first egg, last Wednesday
April 10 was the date. An observer for Parametrix (company monitoring wildlife
in Discovery Park in conjunction with METRO sewage treatment plant expansion)
described behavior consistent with hatching. The female stood in the nest
looking down, occasionally poking in the nest and later offered a small piece
of fish into the nest. He believes he may have seen some movement in the nest
through one of the gaps.

I know I was in the park for two hours on Tuesday and saw no signs of hatching
or feeding behavior. On Wednesday I observed for one hour during which the
female was sitting higher than before, got up, ate some fish and offered five
pieces of food into the nest. I did not find a gap through which I could see
in the nest. But the circumstantial evidence has been accurate in past years.

Today, Saturday, checked up on other nests. No hatching at the West Seattle
(Salty's) nest. No hatching at the south Mercer Island nest. Finally
incubation at the north Mercer Island nest (last year these birds also lagged
well over a month behind other eagles in the area, don't know when exactly
they started, haven't visited them in a while). Birds incubating in Seward
Park and Marymoore Park.

I'll keep you posted on developments.

Martin Muller, Seattle
martinmuller at msn.com