Neglected Eaglets Making Good Progress
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Two bald eaglets hatched on the Kane County property of Mooseheart and then taken into the care of a wildlife rehabilitation center two weeks ago are doing well and gaining weight.
Primary caregiver for the two bald eaglets for the past two weeks has been Dawn Keller, founder of Flint Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation.
"The one that we believe to be a male is starting to branch, which is one of the phases of development for a bird of prey, which means that instead of lying in the nest, he's actually standing on the side of the nest," Keller said.
Which is the first step toward fledging.
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Keller says the next step is putting the eaglets in a flight chamber so they can start using their wings -- but first Flint Creek has to enlarge its flight chamber -- quite a bit.
"We actually really hope to get it constructed within the next four to six weeks. So they need it soon. This is obviously a rush job."
The adults more or less neglected the eaglets after their tempest-tossed nest was replaced with a man-made one on the Mooseheart property.
Moose International Spokesman Darryl Mellema says they're hoping the adult eagles will come back next year.
"We'd love to have them back," Mellema said. "We wish that they were here now."
