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By Jim Smith, PPL consulting naturalist
Posted on May 31st, 2005
Greetings from Holtwood,
My how she has grown! It's been a long time — over three weeks to be exact — since my last report, for which I apologize. Note the change, since the last report, in the eaglet, shown here with Dad. The two were in the process
of feeding on fresh fish — Dad still feeding the eaglet, the eaglet still begging from Dad. I did note, however, that the eaglet also was taking some food from the cache by itself. She (and I say "she" with reservation, knowing that the first egg usually hatches as female — however, I don't know if this one came from the first egg) now has nicely formed flight feathers and coverts, yellow showing on the base of the bill, and she is about as big as her parents. All indications are that this eaglet is on schedule to take her first flight towards the end of this month or very early in July. The June 18th Eagle Watch should find this "baby" outside the nest, doing flight exercises and warming up for that "big moment" — the first flight.
The single eaglet in the Lancaster County nest, having hatched earlier than the one on the tower, is now very hard to see, due to leaf-out of the Tulip Poplar in which the nest is located. All indications, however, point towards a first flight about the middle of June.
The Piney Island Osprey are now feeding three nestlings, which are beginning to finally look like Ospreys, while the York County Osprey nest, as of this writing, is still being worked on, with eggs apparently still under incubation.
The next Eagle Watch will be held Saturday, June 18, at 10 a.m. If you plan on attending, dress appropriately, bring binoculars and be prepared to be outside for an hour or more. Meet at the Lock 12 Historic Area, just west of the Norman Wood Bridge on Route 372 on the York County shore of the Susquehanna River. From there it is a 20-minute walk along McCall’s Ferry Road to the nesting site.
PPL asks all visitors to respect the nest and obey the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s "Do Not Enter" signs.
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