Eastlake eaglet trio will receive names this month

Marah Morrison, The News-Herald, Willoughby, Ohio
·3 min read

Jun. 7—The naming campaign for Jackson and Kindness's three eaglets has begun.

Thus far, the submitted names and their reasons include the following:

River, after the Chagrin River; Ace, which means a high flying bird; East, after Eastlake; Captain, after the Lake County Captains; Aspen, which means shield in Greek; and Forest, which is symbolism in folklore. The name Forest took on symbolic characteristics to represent courage and endurance.

Earlier this year, the Eastlake eagle pair started to build on their nest and on the morning of Feb. 24, Kindness laid her first egg. The eaglet hatched April 2 and from there, American Eagle Foundation volunteers saw the second eaglet via their nest cameras. On April 12, they then saw a third eaglet.

"It has been exciting to watch the eaglet trio grow, especially OH4 who was considerably smaller than the other two," said Betty Delfosse-Henninger, Eastlake's nest liaison. "We wanted to make sure that all the eaglets were of good size and thriving before announcing the naming contest."

The naming campaign allows the public to join in on the excitement of the eaglet trio, Delfosse-Henninger said.

"By participating, you are not only helping with the naming process, you are also helping provide further resources for the (AEF's) nest cam programs," she said. "We are eager to get the Eastlake cams closer to the nest next season and funds raised from the contest will help considerably."

The trio are about nine and a half weeks old. With three eaglets to feed, both Jackson and Kindness have had their work cut out for them this season, according to AEF. In addition to OH3 and OH4 receiving a name, OH2 will receive a special name that will honor an important public figure in the Eastlake community.

AEF's Name the Eastlake eaglets fundraiser will allow all viewers an opportunity to participate in voting without the higher cost of purchasing an AEF membership. The premise of the fundraiser is as follows:

Six names have been selected by the Eastlake volunteer team. Each name was deliberately chosen to highlight the unique characteristics of the Eastlake nest or of eagles in general. Some names honor the surrounding habitat where the nest is located and some names have special meaning.

For a donation of $5 per vote, voters can "stuff the ballot" for their favorite name for OH3 and OH4. They may also vote for their selection as many times as they want. The names that raise the most donations will be the names given to OH3 and OH4.

To make a donation and vote, see the naming options online. The final naming announcement will be made June 17 at 2 p.m. All donations must be made by 2 p.m. on that same day.

All funds raised from this fundraiser will be used to support conservation, education and rehabilitation efforts at AEF including associated wildlife cam program costs (equipment, internet, maintenance, IT, fees).

"It's been a joyful season and we are so happy that everyone can login and see what the eagles, and eaglets are doing in real time," Delfosse-Henninger said.