HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. -- Noah, a six-week-old eaglet, is now in a hack tower at an undisclosed location, learning how to survive on its own.
Officials at the Carolina Raptor Center say Noah is adjusting well to his new home.
WCNC placed a camera inside the hack tower to follow Noah's progress. The camera is solar-powered and hasn't updated since Saturday. We have a battery backup for the camera, but that battery only lasts about 12 hours. We have ordered a new solar panel and we hope to have the eagle cam back up soon.
Meanwhile, the eagle camera at the Carolina Raptor Center is currently being moved to another location inside the center. That camera should be up and running soon.
After a short private ceremony with the family of Marine Lance Corporal Noah Pier on Saturday, the eaglet was taken by staff and volunteers to CRC’s rehabilitation hospital for a brief medical examination in which all was deemed normal for a six week old bald eagle.
The eaglet weighed 3659 grams or approximately eight pounds. A blood sample was collected to evaluate general health and to determine the sex via DNA. The results could be available in the next 2-4 weeks. At the time of the exam, a permanent band was applied. The eaglet was then moved via automobile to a hack tower in an undisclosed location where he will live for the next 4-6 weeks.
The “hacking” process places the young eaglet on an artificial nesting platform several weeks before he is ready to leave the nest or “fledge.” The doors of the tower remain closed until his feathers become fully developed. The eaglet is fed and watched over by members of Carolina Raptor Center’s staff under the direction of eagle expert Mathias Englemann, who has worked with eagles for over 27 years. The bird is fed from a blind to ensure he will retain his fear of humans.
In a few weeks the eaglet will be fitted with an experimental transmitter.
The tracking system is a solar powered battery GPS-GSM telemetry system designed for large birds. The backpack-style unit weighs 100g. The device is designed for operation over long periods of time and is powered by solar power. It tracks via cellular technology at a considerably lower cost than satellite devices. If cellular coverage is unavailable, the unit can store data points until it returns to a coverage area.
At 10 to 12 weeks of age, the doors of the hack tower are opened so that Noah, then a fledgling, can test his ability to fly. Staff members will continue to feed the fledgling throughout this period until it becomes obvious that Noah has left the nest for good.
The eaglet – named for Lance Corporal Noah Pier, a Coolwood native who was killed on February 16, 2010, in Afghanistan -- was born on February 12, 2010, at Carolina Raptor Center to nesting bald eagles Derek and Savannah. Bald eagles mate for life, and the 2010 eggs is the sixth clutch of eggs that these eagles have cared for. Male and female eagles share caregiver duties.
