The second egg at Berry College finished hatching over-night. This is a great time to watch this cam! I can't believe there's a peek-a-boo already!
Here are the little siblings during a feeding:
I don't know why this is so blurry... But they are both facing the cam, so I'm posting it.
Big news out of Norfolk. Mike Inman posted a couple of pictures of Dad Norfolk and his "new mate" -- which I didn't even know about. What happened to DT? Anyway, this new mate has bands. MagInAlex is reporting on Mike's post that Dad Norfolk's new mate is Bald Eagle HE, his daughter from the 2008-2009 nesting season. I knew this was bound to happen in the wild. Offspring return to their natal area to find a mate and build a nest. And if the position is open with their parent... It's bound to happen. So, they have an egg in the nest and I wish them luck!
Fantastic news for the Norfolk Botanical Garden Bald Eagle pair Dad Norfolk and Dirty Tail (DT). Eagle On Alliance is reporting that the pair are building a nest on private land. They won't reveal the location so that they won't continue to get harassed by the government at their new nest. I am so hopeful for a successful nesting season for them! See the Eagle On Alliance press release here.
Check out this article about balancing stones. Make sure you watch the video about using "gravity glue" to make these beautiful forms. Pretty cool!
Here's the Africam Black Eagle s'caps to get up to date on that nest. I think this eaglet is shy sometimes... This is from 9/5.
It was almost dark before I thought to check in on 9/6.
On 9/8, the eaglet was checking out the area outside of the nest. We can always hear water rushing on this cam. They had adjusted the camera angle to include the front of the nest in anticipation of fledging, which also shows the water.
On 9/9, the eaglet was still in the nest.
And on 9/10, the nest is empty... According to chat, the fledge occurred during the time that the camera is off-line... I know it was a great disappointment to the people that have camped out watching this cam, hoping to see the moment. But they will be able to see the fledgling come and go in the coming days as it returns to the nest for food and possibly rest.
Bald Eagle HK's girlfriend has been identified. Meet Bald Eagle Sterling! I'm so excited by this wonderful post! And speaking of HK, check out these latest posts by Pam Monahan on her blog. In this first post I think HK's sunset picture is pretty and I love the duck picture. Then she got some great pictures of HK in this second post.
Bald Eagle Camellia has checked in here and here.
Bald Eagle Grace has checked in here and here.
Bald Eagle NX checked in on 9/5.
There are new location updates for Bald Eagles C35 and C46.
Duane has posted a new picture of Bald Eagle Dad Norfolk's girlfriend Bald Eagle Dirty Tail (DT).
The Virginian-Pilot reports that the recently struck/killed Bald Eagle at the Norfolk Airport was not Dad Norfolk or DT (Dirty Tail). Here's the story.
Pam Monahan spent some time with Bald Eagle HK and the banded female he's been hanging out with. It seems from her description and series of photos, that she was inviting HK to mate, but he didn't seem to pick up on the idea. Here's the post.
I'm having a hard time seeing the cameras for the Berry College Bald Eagle nest and the Southwest Florida nest. I was able to take a peek at the Northeast Florida nest. Look at how big these babies are and how much their feathers have grown in:
We have new tracking maps for Bald Eagle NX.
This is a super-sized animal rescue! This is the largest no-kill sanctuary in the US for abandoned pets.
Have you heard of PooPrints? I love this! Apartment complexes can require a DNA sample from dogs that reside there. Then, when poo isn't cleaned up, it can be DNA matched to the dog/owner. My co-worker actually got a letter from the management of her apartment because she wasn't cleaning up after her dog. There was dog poo all over the place in front of her apartment. The only problem: she doesn't own a dog.
The breeding grounds of the African Lesser Flamingo are threatened by human development. They only breed in one place and there are people that think it would be a good idea to encroach on the area. What is wrong with people that they can be so selfish and shortsighted?
I don't usually do two posts in one day, but I've got such good news out of Norfolk! Dad Norfolk and his mate DT have been seen together since a Bald Eagle was killed recently at the Norfolk International Airport. Although I am saddened that an eagle was killed once again due to the city and airport's negligence, I am happy that it was not Dad Norfolk or DT. I wonder if Norfolk's Mayor Fraim and his accomplices on the City Council are going to continue the (obviously) ineffective practice of harassing Dad Norfolk and DT while they are on Norfolk Botanical Garden property or if they are going to pry their heads out of their butts and do something that works. Maybe this eagle's death wasn't for nothing. Maybe it will bring about necessary change in the way they are trying to mitigate the risk presented by wildlife. At the very least, I hope they get the maximum fine for the illegal take of a Bald Eagle! Please, please, please, if you live in the city of Norfolk, vote them out of office (everyone except Tommy Smigiel.) Mayor Fraim and the inept members of his City Council need to go!
Bald Eagle Camellia has checked in. I'd think that we should be able to soon see a pattern that indicates where he will build a nest...
Carol Senechal, founder of Eagle On Alliance (EOA), was on AM790 WNIS this morning to discuss the Bald Eagle strike at the Norfolk International Airport. According to Carol, it was an adult that was killed. The airport refused to have a wildlife expert come in and try to identify if it was Dad Norfolk or DT (Dirty Tail). I'm sure they are trying to avoid the repercussions if their negligence caused the death of either Dad Norfolk or DT. I will say again that regardless of which Bald Eagle was killed, one of ours or a stranger, the airport needs to be heavily fined for the illegal take of a Bald Eagle. From what I understand, the Bald Eagle that was killed was a female, based upon measurements. Praying it was not DT... There is a thread on the Norfolk Eagles Forum about this incident for those of us that don't Facebook (me included). I so appreciate everyone that posts on the Forum. It really helps to keep me in the loop.
I got a good look at the eggs today at the Berry College Bald Eagle nest.
The Northeast Florida Bald Eagle nest looks a lot like the Southwest Florida nest. Rainy day for both. Here's the Northeast nest this evening:
And the Southwest nest:
Bald Eagle NX has checked in. I wish these maps indicated distance or that they would say in the verbiage how far she has gone since her last check-in. No idea how far she has traveled here...
Bald Eagle Dad Norfolk's nest has been torn down again by the USDA under a permit issued to the City of Norfolk. These people want to go to the expense as few times as possible. So, what they do, is they wait until a nest is almost finished and then tear it down. The Bald Eagles will never stop trying to follow nature's imperative to reproduce. The idiots on Norfolk's city council might as well shake their fists at the sky when it rains. Idiots. The mayor too. Thomas Smigiel is the only one with a brain on the city council. It's just heartbreaking to know that this has happened again. These people, besides being incredibly stupid, are heartless and cruel. Just because you can exert your will over weaker animals doesn't mean that you should. And these people have to ignore the advice of experts to continue along this path that they have chosen. If you live in Norfolk, please vote them out!
Bald Eagle NX has finally checked in! She is near her release site. And there is an update for Bald Eagle KE as well.
The Northeast Florida Eagle Cam Bald Eagle nest is on pip/hatch watch. The Southwest Florida nest is 3 days later.
I've mentioned before how much we need to get away from foreign oil. I came across this article today about converting algae into crude oil. How awesome is that?
I take multivitamins. I think it's beneficial. But, maybe it's not...
Penguins huddle up to stay warm. Watch the video to see how the group moves as one.
African Lesser Flamingos habitat is threatened by development.
Quick post today. Mike Inman posted a link to his pictures of Bald Eagles Dad Norfolk and DT (Dirty Tail) on the Norfolk Eagles Forum.
There's a great item on the Center for Conservation Biology Eagle Nest Blog site about the success of the program to put transmitters on Bald Eagles. What a great article!
Bald Eagle Camellia's transmitter (solar powered) finally got enough sunshine to send a signal. See where he's at... Be sure to read the comments as well, since Reese gives some details regarding the transmitters.
Pam Monahan has a new post about Bald Eagle HK on her Notes from the Nest Blog. I like the second picture, with the fish tail hanging down... And I like the sunset pic... Oh, what the heck! I like all three of them!
Mike posted a great picture of Bald Eagles Dad Norfolk and DT! They look great and I'm so happy to see them together. Hopefully they can weather this storm that the idiots on the Norfolk City Council are throwing their way.
How about a couple of bee stories? This woman had some honey bees living in her attic. Honey bees are suffering from colony collapse, so they had to try to evict them without killing them. And then there's Hornetgeddon! Look at these giant hornets causing problems in China! These are very aggressive hornets that have killed 42 and injured at least 1600. In the video, they are referred to as the sharks of the insect world. Yikes!
Jellyfish are causing Jellypocalypse! Look at the size of the jellyfish in that first picture.
Here is an amazing story about Swifts flying non-stop for 200 days! You read that right. Non-stop for 200 days. I didn't know that birds could "rest on the wing." I think this is just incredible!
There has been research to answer this question: Do dogs feel emotions? I don't need to do any research to answer this question. But it's still an interesting article...
I like reading about places where humans haven't gone in and destroyed what nature intended. Pristine places. Wild places. Check out Suriname: A Tropical Eden. And make sure you check out the slide show of animals that live there.
