Feeding a fledgling
The Little Eagle fledglings are becoming a bit more independent now. Today, this one was calling to its parents whenever it saw them, begging for food. However, food delivery is slowing. While passing the time, this bird was seen to dive at potential prey on the forest floor, small birds mostly from what I could see through the foliage. The eagle was quite happy to sit quietly up on a high branch while people walked past below, then it would stoop straight off its perch and try for a kill. Like so many kills I have seen, the points of impact, or possible impact, was just out of view. The last attack was actually towards me as I sat quietly below, and the eagle missed a Crimson Rosella on the edge of the path fifty metres from me.
The young bird was well aware of my presence, and it was relaxed enough to hunt while I sat about 100 m away. It is so used to people walking past and below its nest and surrounding trees - bush-walking is a very popular pastime in Canberra. This is probably the darkest young Little Eagle I have seen. There is barely a hint of juvenile red plumage, a touch on its legs, and even the red on the head is dark.
The fledgling was still being fed though. The adult female brought in this juvenile Crimson Rosella and the two eagles began calling repeatedly to one another, the fledgling being particularly excited at the prospect of breakfast.
The adult began plucking the rosella and I was waiting for her to carry it over to the fledgling. But, not so quick. She started to eat the rosella, from the head down, and did not show any intention of giving it to her youngster.
About forty minutes later, she did fly over to the fledgling with the lower half of the rosella. Yet, still she did not hand it over. She sat on a branch next to the young bird's branch and ate a little bit more, while the fledgling jumped to and fro between the branches, as if wanting to snatch the food, but wary. There was a pecking order, and the young bird was only given the food once the parent had eaten her share.