Huntersville, NC is the home of the Carolina Raptor Center and their latest news is huge. Savannah and Derek Eagle became the proud parents of an egg on New Years Day with possibly more to come!
WCNC.com first reported the baby news on January 2, 2013 and it seems that Savannah has set a new date with the laying of this egg. Savannah normally gives birth later in the month of January.
A second egg may be laid two to three days after the first one, which gives the chick in the first egg a definite advantage in size and maturity. Incubation for eagle eggs is 33-35 days. Smaller birds incubate for about 24 days and up to 54 days for the largest birds.
Derek will give Savannah some short periods of respite from the incubation so that she can eat and stretch. Derek has also been seen feeding Savannah while she sits on the nest.
In order for the eagle incubation to continue, the parents must bond. Humans disturbing the parents may cause abandonment of the eggs. The eagle aviary at the Carolina Raptor Center was closed on January 1 due to the birth. The eaglets also are protected from the sun, so a tarp is placed over the nest.
You may follow the new additions along with Derek and Savannah by going to the WCNC eagle cam at http://www.wcnc.com/news/local/eagle-cam or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SavannahEagle and Twitter (@Savannah Eagle).
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