Sunday, September 29, 2013

Earthflight Part 4, Bald Eagle NX's Location

I realized that I never did comment on this past Wednesday's Earthflight. I really enjoyed it. This one covers South America. There are Codors and Hummingbirds. I never realized how big Condors are! In one scene they are among Turkey Vultures and the size difference is incredible. Turkey Vultures are not small and they look tiny in comparison. There are also some pretty Macaws and Black Vultures. You can watch it here. It will be available until October 9th.

Bald Eagle NX is still hanging out at Rosier Creek.

That's it for me tonight. I've had an exhausting weekend. It was a pool tournament weekend...

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Training Update for Bald Eagle Buddy, Stoney Creek Resident Bald Eagle Injured By Fishing Line, Berry College Eagle Cam, Nature Photo Gallery, Bald Eagle Nesting Pole, Locations for Bald Eagle NX and Camellia

There is a new training update for Bald Eagle Buddy. He is being more cooperative now that he's tethered.

In my September 25th post, I mentioned the upcoming clean-up of the Stony Creek Metropark. According to this article, it looks like it was the resident female that had gotten caught up in some fishing line. She is alive, but is injured. If you fish, please dispose of fishing line in trash receptacles! And if you see discarded fishing line, please pick it up and dispose of it properly!

Berry College Eagle Cam! It looks like it's a good one to watch already. It seems that every time I check that cam, someone is home:

This photo gallery looks interesting to explore. Nature stuff...

A nesting pole has been erected at Lake Waco (Texas). Make sure you go through all of the pictures that are in a slide show. It says that a cam will be included so the eagles can be monitored. And they will stream it so the public can view it. (So many cams, so little time!) I'm always interested in these stories of man-made structures for Bald Eagles. I'd like to know how well they take to them. Please leave a comment if you are aware of Bald Eagles using a nesting pole.

Bald Eagle NX went right back to Rosier Creek. She is really spending a lot of time there.

Bald Eagle Camellia has also checked in since my last post. He's really been touring around the area!

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Bald Eagle NX's Location, Bald Eagle Picture, Volunteers Needed To Help Clean-up Stony Creek Metropark

Bald Eagle NX has left Rosier Creek and has really put on some miles. She was in flight for this check-in. I wonder if she was still on the move... And if so, where was she going?

Shelly would appreciate this picture of a Bald Eagle. It is a really great capture of a bald eagle with a fresh fish. And, there's an action aspect to this picture... I wandered around this site and found a lot of beautiful pictures.

Here's an opportunity to volunteer. Volunteers are needed to help clean up Stony Creek Metropark located in Shelby Township, MI. Recently, a Bald Eagle became tangled in some discarded fishing line. They are looking to do the clean-up on October 12th (with a make-up date of the 13th in case of bad weather.)

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Bald Eagle Camellia's Location, Dog Heirs, Cattleya Orchid in Bloom, Berry College Eagle Cam, American Kestrel on Feathered Photography Blog

There is a new location posted for Bald Eagle Camellia. I wonder if he's wandering a bit more now that it's cooler? He does seem to be exploring more these days.

In my wanderings, I found this site called Dog Heirs. Here's a place to start, with a rescue of a Wolf. From there, click on links for whatever looks interesting to you. I've already spent about a half hour poking around and still want to look at more stories that are offered. Here's a dog rescue with a funny ending. I love stuff like that!

I grow orchids. I don't necessarily have luck getting them to re-bloom. But I love a challenge! I have orchids that I bought online years ago that I've never seen bloom. Have I ever mentioned that I'm stubborn? I attended some classes over at the Norfolk Botanical Garden and at McDonald Garden Center with Steve Urick, who takes care of the orchids at ODU. These classes were probably two and three years ago. Probably 4 classes in total. I must have finally gotten something right. I had already noticed that two of my cattleya orchids are in sheath (getting ready to bloom). Then, out of nowhere, I caught sight of purple and discovered that a completely different cattleya orchid that I hadn't even noticed was in sheath was suddenly in bloom. Just one bloom. But it's still my first cattleya to rebloom! So I'm really excited about that and I can still look forward to the two that are getting ready to bloom!

I mentioned the Berry College Eagle Cam in a previous post. I looked in on the cam last night and this is what I found!


And tonight, they've got a date/time stamp on the cam. And someone is home! This is looking like the cam to watch these days!

I think the American Kestrel is one of the prettiest birds. Ron Dudley has done a post on his Feathered Photography blog with some interesting pictures that show their hunting behavior. These pictures are neat, especially the dive-bombing picture. But I especially love the last picture in his post. It's a stunning picture of a perched American Kestrel. Just beautiful!

Saturday, September 21, 2013

New Location for Bald Eagle Camellia, Picture of Bald Eagle From Overhead Perspective, Bald Eagles Cleveland, Ohio, Whale Ear Wax, Afar Rift, 80 Year Old Fish

There's a new location posted for Bald Eagle Camellia. And, a couple of pictures that Shirley Yanello allowed Reese to include in his post! Poor Camellia is being mobbed by crows. But it's still nice to see one of our eagles.

Here's a neat picture! Looking down upon a Bald Eagle in flight. I don't think I've ever seen a picture of a Bald Eagle from this perspective before.

Anyone live near Cleveland, Ohio? Bald Eagles have adopted the bluffs.

OK. This is gross, but pretty incredible. A whale's life story is recorded in its ear wax. And museums (for some strange reason) have lots of ear wax ready to be examined...

The Afar region of Ethiopia lies at the junction of three tectonic plates that are shifting apart. You can read about the Afar Rift here.

Did you know that fish can live to 80 years old? I didn't. "Grandad" the Australian Lungfish has been a resident of the Shedd Aquarium for 80 years.

Friday, September 20, 2013

Pam Monahan's New Pictures of Bald Eagle HK, Duane Noblick's New Pictures of Bald Eagle Dad Norfolk, New Locations For Bald Eagles NX and KE, Lightening at the Grand Canyon, Harvest Moon, Bird's Eye View of Bald Eagle in Flight, Bald Eagles To Be Released Washington State, Gallery of Bald Eagle Photos, Goshawk Flying Through Tight Spaces

Oh my! Pam Monahan has posted 23 new pictures of Bald Eagle HK. There are some take-off shots that show his tail feathers spread out -- and they look all white! He is looking handsome! He is hanging out in an Osprey nest on a man-made structure. I wonder if he is trying to make that nest his own...

Duane Noblick has posted some really great pictures of Bald Eagle Dad Norfolk on the Norfolk Eagles forum. Dad looks so handsome!

Bald Eagle NX is on the move.

Bald Eagle KE seems to be really adventurous, much like Azalea. KE has flown across the Potomac River and into Maryland!

Check out these pictures of lightening at the Grand Canyon. Pretty fantastic!

We just had a Harvest Moon. I never knew what that meant. Now I do!

Here's how to get a video to go viral: Put a camera on a Bald Eagle and let it go flying. Check it out. How many of you thought, "Watch out for that tree!" while watching this video? I know I did -- more than once...

The public is invited to see two Bald Eagles released from a point on the Dungeness River (Washington state) on Saturday at 1:00PM. Get the details here.

I found this gallery of Bald Eagle photos. I really enjoyed looking through these pictures.

This amazing video shows how a Goshawk can fly through the narrow gaps in a forest and through underbrush while chasing prey.

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Garden of Eagles Calendar, Earthflight Part 3, Pam Monahan's 11 New Pictures of Bald Eagle HK, Locations of Bald Eagle Camellia and NX, CCB's New and Improved Eagle Nest Locator

Don't forget to order your Garden of Eagles Calendar. They are on sale until October 1st. I just ordered mine! See my previous blog entry for details.

Earthflight Part 3 was on last night. This episode covers Europe and mainly has Cranes, Geese and Starlings. I love the mating dances and the excitement when mated pairs find each other back at the nest after being apart. Their joy and enthusiasm is incredible. You can stream the episode here if you missed it. It will be available until October 16th.

Pam Monahan does not need a transmitter to find Bald Eagle HK! She has posted 11 new pictures! There are even a couple of 'shots' that Shelly would like! (Pun intended...) Bravo Pam!

Bald Eagle Camellia has checked in. No surprises here...

Bald Eagle NX has also checked in. She is still hanging around Rosier Creek.

The Center for Conservation Biology (CCB) has launched a new and improved Eagle Nest Locator for Virginia. This is a great site for discovering Bald Eagle nests in your area as well as notifying CCB about nests of which they are not currently aware. If you do look for local eagles, please be respectful and keep your distance! You can read about it on CCB's blog.

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Danger of Lead Ammo to Wildlife, Bald Eagle Picture, Berry College Bald Eagle Cam, Wind Farms Are Killing Bald Eagles

Some hunters refuse to stop using lead ammo despite the fact that so many birds die from lead poisoning. Scavengers (including Bald Eagles) will ingest lead shot when scavenging off of gutpiles left by hunters or from game that has been shot and dies but not found by the hunter. You'd think the reporter could include in the article some information about effectiveness, availability, and cost of non-lead ammo. I did a quick google search and found this information about non-lead ammo along with this other page of availability and cost. The reporter should have included this information. I also don't know why there was no mention to bury gutpiles or at least cover it with brush if the ground is frozen, to try to mitigate the risk to wildlife.

Check out this awesome Bald Eagle picture!

There is a new eagle cam to watch this year. This one is at Berry College in Georgia.

I hate to say it, but wind farms are killing Bald Eagles. This is unfortunate. I like the idea of getting away from our dependence on foreign oil. I just wish they'd find a way to protect birds from wind farms.

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Two New Pictures of Bald Eagle HK, New Location For Bald Eagle Camellia

Pam Monahan has posted two new pictures of Bald Eagle HK! In the flight pic, it looks like he's got some new feathers coming in. I think the perched pic is interesting too. I wonder what kind of tree that is... Yay Pam!

There is an updated location for Bald Eagle Camellia. It actually covers the last 10 days, since Reese was out of town. Camellia has done some exploring. The map looks like a bunch of scribbles. And, he was in Hampton! But I didn't see him...

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Earthflight Part 2, Bald Eagle Camellia's Location, Pam Monahan's Latest Pictures of Bald Eagle HK

Part 2 of Earthflight was on last night. It was pretty good. This episode is based in Africa and features Fish Eagles, Vultures, Pink Flamingos, and Cape Gannets. You can stream it here. It will be available until October 13th.

Camellia has checked in. I was unable to get his 9/9 map. But here is his 9/12 location (check in time was 1:56AM):

Pam Monahan has posted 7 new pictures of Bald Eagle HK! Good job Pam, keep doing what you're doing!

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Eagle Deaths Due To Wind Turbines, Bald Eagles in Vermont, Fledgling Electrocutions, Bald Eagle Photography Workshop

There was a study released yesterday about the number of Eagle deaths due to wind turbines. I like the idea of wind turbines. I like the idea of reducing our dependence on foreign oil. But I think they really need to take steps to identify good locations for wind turbines and take other steps to mitigate this problem.

The number of Bald Eagles raised in Vermont is on the rise.

Three fledglings from the same nest were electrocuted and died. The electric company has since taken steps to prevent future electrocutions. I just wish they had done it sooner... Here's the story.

Christopher Dodds has two Bald Eagle photography workshops out of Homer, Alaska in March. It looks like a great adventure! Even if you aren't interested in the workshop, it's worth a look at this link just for the pictures.

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Bald Eagle Pictures, Raptors in Flight, Earthflight

Eagle pictures here. Both Bald and Golden Eagles.

Some people are doing raptor watch at Lake Ontario. I like this page of theirs because it shows so many pictures of raptors in flight. This can help you identify birds that you see...

Don't forget that part 2 of the PBS Mini-series 'Earthflight' is on tomorrow night at 8:00PM.




Monday, September 9, 2013

New Pictures of Bald Eagle HK From Pam Monahan, Bald Eagle NX's Location, Gif of Bald Eagle Snagging a Fish, Red-tailed Hawk on Feathered Photography

Pam Monahan has posted four new pictures of Bald Eagle HK! And he looks super handsome -- just a little bit 'dirty bird'.

There is a 9/7 and a 9/9 update for Bald Eagle NX's Location. She is back in some familiar territory...

I found this gif of a Bald Eagle snagging a fish. Look at the eagle concentrate on the fish prior to the catch. Pretty cool...

Ron Dudley has a beautiful picture of a Red-tailed Hawk on his Feathered Photography blog. He describes it as a juvenile that is hunting.

Friday, September 6, 2013

Bald Eagle Camellia's Location, National Zoo's Giant Panda Cub, Stop Feeding Deer, Dead Dog Ad Campaign, Live Bald Eagle Mascot, Washing Meat, Find Momo

Bald Eagle Camellia has also been bitten by the wanderlust bug. (In my post yesterday, I remarked that Bald Eagle NX finally got in touch with her sense of wanderlust.) I wonder if there is some imperative that hit them at the same time? A change in weather or something that spurred them to take a trip...

The two-week old Giant Panda Cub at the National Zoo is a girl! And they know who's-your-daddy...

If you've been feeding deer in Virginia, you have to stop until the first Saturday in January. From what I understand, it is to prevent hunters from baiting deer. And according to a DGIF News Release it is also illegal to feed deer and elk in Buchanan, Dickenson, and Wise counties at any time.

Dead dogs don't sell shoes! Wonder if the bonehead that thought up this ad still has a job...

The largest volcano on Earth is under the Pacific Ocean.

Boston College brings back live Bald Eagle mascot.

Doesn't everyone wash chicken before cooking it? I wash chicken, beef, everything but hamburger. I don't know what's on it from when it was cut and packaged. But according to this article, I could be spreading yuckies by washing it... I'm on the fence here. I always use a gentle stream when washing meat, so I think I'm ok by doing so. I'm just not a big fan of leaving yuckies on something, killing it in the cooking process, and then eating dead/cooked yuckies.

Today's Find Momo is really good!

Thursday, September 5, 2013

PBS Miniseries Earthflight Episode One, Bald Eagle NX's Location

Here's a link to Episode One of Earthflight. It's pretty good. The site says that it is available until October 2, 2013.

Bald Eagle NX has finally found her sense of wanderlust! Check out her latest adventures!

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Rhoda Gerig's Photography of the Wabash Bald Eagle Nest, Bald Eagle Camellia's Location, NPR Morning Edition's Story on Bald Eagles With Dr Bryan Watts of CCB, Young Ferruginous Hawk Siblings on Feathered Photography

Rhoda Gerig has spent a year photographing the Wabash Eagle's nest. She has put together a book which can be viewed at this link. She is working on a second book for another nest that she followed this year. The first one is awesome -- can't wait for the second book!

Bald Eagle Camellia's location has been updated. He's back in familiar territory!

William & Mary has posted an article about the NPR Morning Edition story on Bald Eagles. From there, I was able to go to the link of the actual story online. It's 4 1/2 minutes and well worth the listen! Dr Bryan Watts, Director of the Center for Conservation Biology, is featured.

Here's some beautiful pictures of Young Ferruginous Hawk Siblings on Ron Dudley's Feathered Photography blog.

I tried to find tonight's Earthflight episode so I could provide a link. But it's not posted yet... Maybe tomorrow.

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

PBS Earthflight Miniseries Airs Tomorrow Night, Bald Eagle KE's Location, CCB and Bald Eagles on NPR Tomorrow Morning, Bald Eagle Buddy is Tethered, Another Post On Hummingbirds on Feathered Photography

The Earthflight miniseries starts tomorrow night on PBS at 8:00PM. This first episode is about Snow Geese, Pelicans, and Bald Eagles. If you can't watch it when it airs on PBS, you can stream it afterward at pbs.org/nature. I'm really looking forward to watching this series!

It's been a while since we've gotten an update on Bald Eagle KE's location. Prince George's County is not very far from where I was raised. Here's a link to the post.

NPR will air a story on their Morning Edition tomorrow about CCB and the Bald Eagle recovery on the James River. It's at 89.5 FM and the Morning Edition show is on from 5:00AM - 9:00AM. I will try to catch it in the morning.

Bald Eagle Buddy is now tethered in his enclosure. There is a brief comment about it and a video at this link. I couldn't get the embedded video to play, so here is a direct link to the video on youtube.

Ron Dudley has another post on Hummingbirds on his Feathered Photography blog. Great pictures! He also included this link about the Hummingbird's tongue. Very nice little clip. 

Monday, September 2, 2013

Locations of Bald Eagles NX and Camellia, Big Fine For Cutting Down Tree With Bald Eagle Nest, Hummingbird Biology on Feathered Photography


Bald Eagle NX is still hanging out around Quantico. See her latest postition data.

Bald Eagle Camellia has returned from his latest little adventure. His latest position data is here.

So, this idiot calls a tree company to cut down a tree on his property. The tree has a Bald Eagle nest in it, so the company told him 'no' because of the nest. So, he calls another company, which cut down the tree. The guy got a big fat fine. Too bad it wasn't more! What a moron. Here's the story.

Ron Dudley has a post about Interesting Hummingbird Biology on his Feathered Photography blog.