MIAMI (CBSMiami) – My how quickly they grow up.
No, we’re not talking about what parents say when their children leave the nest, but what Zoo Miami’s Ron Magill is saying about Miami’s most famous bald eagles, R1 and R2, which hatched over New Year’s weekend.
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On Tuesday, Magill posted on Twitter that just after 7 a.m. Thursday morning that R1 “displayed its new found confidence” and “beautifully flew from the nest.”
Though eaglet R1 had already ventured from the nest in the past 24 hrs, this morning at 7:14AM, it displayed its new found confidence when, with great intention, it beautifully flew from the nest! Soon, R2 will follow to begin their new lives on their own! pic.twitter.com/67xhLWhAlR
— Ron Magill (@RonMagill) March 24, 2022
You’ll recall the parents, named after Ron Magill and his wife Rita, have been the center of attention when The Ron Magill Conservation Endowment and Wildlife Rescue of Dade County teamed up to build an artificial platform for the eagles in an undisclosed location after their original one was destroyed during a storm last March.
Lo and behold, Ron and Rita built a new nest on the manmade platform to the delight of just about everyone.
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In addition to the custom-built platform, they installed state-of-the-art cameras for 24-hour viewing on a live Eagle Cam which provides intimate views into the nest.
The 24-hour bald eagle nest camera showed Rita laying three eggs around Thanksgiving. All of them hatched but one didn’t survive. It hatched several days later than its siblings and was unable to compete with their larger size and strength.
Baby bald eagles usually leave the nest at around 10-12 weeks of age. However, they often stay near the nest in order to learn from their parents and hone their flying and feeding skills for another 1-2 months.
Bald eagles are monogamous and mate for life, usually returning to the same nest year after year and building upon it.
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To see the live Eagle Cam, click here.
