5-6 weeks milestones, our little baby was 5 weeks old as of May 8th!

As you have all noticed, those pin feathers are growing into some beautiful and dark feathers all over Storm. The wing tips and tail feathers are showing significant growth right now. You will notice that each day Storm gets darker and darker. By the 6-week mark, the baby down feathers on the head will be all dark. The eaglet will retain the downy feathers for warmth as Storm’s new juvenile feathers grow. These new feathers are also waterproof and will allow the rain to roll off.  Storm is constantly preening the new feathers which also help them emerge from the shafts. Preening helps remove the white sheath that the feathers grow from.

At this stage, we see Soren and Skye leaving Storm alone more often as the eaglet is more self-sufficient. Storm can get around the nest and find the shade to cool off in, now that the weather is warming up. Each night Skye comes to tuck in Storm and it’s cute to see the eaglet still try to get under mom. Only the head fits at this point. Leaving the eaglet alone is the start of preparing them for life on their own once they fledge the nest.

At 6 weeks of age the eaglet is undergoing significant development in many areas. The feet are now adult size, and you’ll see Storm standing and walking around the nest more and more. You will see it starting to grab at the food and begin trying to self-feed. It was so cute recently when Skye and Storm had a tug of war with the prey. The eaglet will be trying out those beautiful wings and exercising them by flapping a lot. This strengthens the muscles needed for flying.

Storm will watch and imitate Skye and Soren and has started to move sticks and nesting material around. The eaglet will also start to practice picking up sticks with those beautiful new talons. Again, this is a learning practice that strengthens the feet and talons by grasping objects and letting them go. At 6 weeks and moving forward, Storm will weigh about 6 pounds and close to adult size. At this stage Storm will want to eat more and more as well, necessary to sustain the big developments that are happening at this age. We have a saying in the Eagle world, “6 ounces to 6 pounds in 6 weeks. It’s so amazing to watch, it never gets old!