SWFL Eagles_E9 Learns More~Fish Overboard~Aggressive & Passive Behavior 04-22-17

M15 delivered a fish that he and E9 lost overboard on delivery. Harriet saw it drop, took it to a snag and E9 aggressively pursued her, claiming the fish. After eating some of the fish, M grabbed the fish and H stole it from M. As aggressive as e9 was, so was H. M appeared passive. Most likely the aggressive behavior of Harriet today has happened before if they have provided food for E9 out of our view. She gave E9 the chance to eat it first and when s/he didn’t consume it quickly, she took it from him/her. The females usually stop providing food for their young before the males do. The males are hardwired to provide food for their family and are more likely to continue to feed their begging offspring. At this time the adults will be settling back into their non-breeding activities. They begin to perch and roost at locations other than the nest tree location. It isn’t unusual for females to become more aggressive towards their young when it comes to food at this time. While she may still provide food and allow E9 to take it, she will also eat the prey herself if E9 isn’t aggressive enough to take it from her. For those who might be upset with Harriet for not sharing with E9, Harriet isn’t being a ‘bad’ mother. She is doing E9 a favor. Once E9 is on his/her own there won’t be any eagles willing to share their meal with E9. Harriet began these lessons in the nest when she would gently remove food and engage in tug-o-wars with E9. As time as passed these lessons became more intense. E9’s time with his/her parents is coming to an end and Harriet continues to provide good life lessons for her young E9. It has been 5 weeks and 4 days since E9 fledged. Usually the fledglings remain in the area for 1-2 months before striking out on their own (6 weeks seems to be the average). Thank you SWFEC, hosted by Dick Pritchett Real Estate, for maintaining such a suitable tree and environment for our Bald Eagle Family. http://www.dickpritchettrealestate.co... Thank you Essec09 for your assistance in today's description.