Mission: To promote the appreciation of wildlife and increase harmony between humanity and nature.

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Saturday, July 13, 2013

The Eaglet Flies - What's Next?

In only 2 to 3 months Eva's eaglet has grown to its mature size and now learned to fly.

The last two mornings as the sun rises the fledgling was seen flying in circles around the nest that Eddie built in the Broadmoor Golf Course. It was almost as if you could hear the cries, "Hey, Mom look at me! I can fly...

I can fly!"

There is no longer any doubt Eva and Albert's young eaglet has fledged!

Last year Si'ahl was one of the names suggested for the 2012 eaglets. Chief Si'ahl was the chief of the Duwamish people and the person for who the city of Seattle was named. Naming this year's bird Si'ahl links it to a strong and peaceful leader in a time of great change. It also links the bird to the native people who historically lived here in an environmentally sustainable fashion. Finally, it links the bird to all of us who live in the current and future city of Seattle. The hope is that this young eagle will be a living symbol to remind us of our past and challenge us to consider our future.

Even though Si'ahl has learned to fly and is as large as its parents the fledgling is not yet as mature as its parents. This morning the youthful Si'ahl seemed to be trying to figure out its role in the world. Si'ahl spent a great deal of effort attacking..

..the top of the nesting tree.

After a few miscues..

Si'ahl succeeded in catching and retaining a fir cone.

However the process of actually eating the seeds turned out to be a bit of a sticky wicket, so to speak.


Si'ahl ultimately gave up on trying to be the world's largest Pine Siskin and was last seen heading north toward Union Bay. Hopefully, in search of the more appropriate fish or fowl.

By the way as you may have noticed in the video Si'ahl has a white spot in the middle of the chest. This mark may help make identification a bit easier at least until this set of feathers grows out.

Si'ahl and the city of Seattle have a lot in common. They are both relatively young and still figuring who they will be when they grow up. Compared to other cities like Rome, Istanbul, London and even New York, Seattle is just a fledgling. We in Seattle have choices to make about the future. Like Si'ahl we have great potential. We could show the world what it means to be a world-class, 21st-century city. The University of Washington could continue to lead the way in finding sustainable technologies. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation looks set to help the world attain new levels of health, education and food production. Starbucks appears to be focused on making a profit while still being socially and environmentally conscious. The Bullitt Foundation's new building clearly sets the bar for 21st-century construction. We have the potential to set new standards in environmentally friendly transportation. We also have the potential to develop Union Bay into a world-class example of nature co-existing in a modern city. Imagine eagles, the grandchildren of Si'ahl, feeding on salmon in the Arboretum and Ravenna Creeks, just like his predecessors did in the past.  When you see Si'ahl or his parents on the 520 light poles take a moment to consider the future of our city and Union Bay.

Have a great day on Union Bay..where nature lives in the city!

Larry

PS: A very heartfelt, "Thank You!" to Mike Anderson for the pruning, that dramatically increased the visibility and made many of these photos possible! 

12 comments:

  1. What beautiful details you got in the feathers. Thank you for being our eyes. Freya

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    1. You are welcome! It was just a lot of fun watching this young bird learning to hunt (pine cones) and learning to fly. :-)

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  2. Larry are you a proud dad? It is a great thing to see this youngster on his own. Love the video and yes he was learning what a sticky thing a cone can be. I was giggling over his wrangling with it. Thank you for these great snapshots into their life and his name is perfect. R

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    1. Thank you for the kind words. Somebody once said they enjoyed my quirky sense of humor. Which has made me wonder if other folks are actually amused by the same things that I find funny. In this case I found it hilarious that a bird at the top of the food chain was picking seeds out of a pine cone. On the other hand maybe that is how all eagles get their vitamin C and I have just not been paying close enough attention to see it before. :-)

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  3. Thank you again for these beautiful posts. We enjoy them so much Ditto on Seattle has important choices for the future.

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    1. You are welcome. I have traveled a little bit and I can not think of another city with any better potential to become the first sustainable city in the 21st century.

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  4. Brilliant post. Fabulous pictures. Thanks so much.

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    1. You are welcome! I am glad you enjoyed the writing as well as the photos. :-)

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  5. Larry, thanks so much for all the posts! I live in Denny Blaine and I'm pretty sure I just saw an eaglet sitting on top of a very old cedar tree in our neighborhood just now....alas, I only had binoculars to view him/her, but it was super exciting nonetheless!!!

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    1. That is very exciting. It could very well be Si'ahl. Did you happen to notice if there was a white spot in the middle of the chest? Another interesting thing to note is the color of the beak. At this point the front half of Si'ahl's beak is black. Over time it will turn yellow like the parents. I hope you get another view in the near future!

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  6. Larry, I rely on you for information to pass along on my plain little blog "Ethel&Ernest 520 Eagles", and ask humbly for your permission to report on the fledging of Chief Si'ahl. And if it is ok with you I will send my readers to your blog for photos and more information. Thank you for your thoughtful words about what kind of city we want to see Seattle become as we move forward in this 21st Century.

    Driving over 520 this past week we saw Ethel (Ava) on the north fountain once, and on the favorite light standard west of the west high rise. This was the first time we'd seen her in quite awhile. Ernest (Albert) has been there often. So we immediately assumed the eaglet had flown. And indeed he had. I will await your reply before I post my blog, so just let me know if it is OK to reference Union Bay Watch in my post.

    Thanks!
    Rebecca (Wilson Cat)

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    1. I am not sure if you saw my response yesterday, from my cell phone, but either way feel free to report on Si'ahl and I am happy if you use one of my photos along with the link to my site. It is great to get out the news. By the way I saw the young one yesterday in the cottonwood on the north end of Foster Island. Have a great day!

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