Nest Cam Roundup: AEF, Two Harbors, Sooner Lake, Alcoa, Duke Farms, Alcoa Osprey, Fort St Vrain, Harrison Bay, NCTC, Blackwater

The AEF chicks are getting big under the watchful eyes of their parents. Here, the chicks are in full pancake mode while their parents watch something fly overhead:

The Two Harbors chick is full grown. All that's left now is to build up flight muscles over the next couple of weeks in preparation to fledge:

The Sooner Lake babies look great. I caught them up and about today:

The Alcoa nest presents a challenge when trying to get a screen capture. This is pretty much just a silhouette -- and I only got that after much time and effort...

The Duke Farms eagles are full grown too. Here, one is sleeping with its head tucked under its wing while the other is in pancake mode:

The Alcoa Osprey chicks are getting so big so fast. All three chicks are in this screen capture. One is harder to see because it is laying down at the 7 - 8 o'clock position...

The Fort St Vrain eaglet is also full grown, with at least a couple more weeks before it will fledge. The overhead cam still has a smudge on it. It's hard to see the eaglet with the side cam when it's in pancake mode...

I checked in on the Harrison Bay nest, but it was just an empty nest on the cam. Off-cam? Branching? Too early for fledge... Update: A late night check shows one of the eaglets is back in the nest. Not sure where the other one is tonight. It could be spending the night on a branch...

The NCTC nest is on fledge watch the end of this week. This is the earliest one might fledge. It could still be a few weeks. I caught them at dinner time today:

The Blackwater eaglets have fledged. After eaglets fledge, they still spend quite a bit of time at the nest. Their parents still bring food to the nest while the young learn how to forage from their parents. Here, I caught one hop-flying over to its sibling:

Nest cam roundup, Wildlife strikes at ORF and PHF, lead poisoning

Been checking out cams today:

Alcoa cam gave me a good look at two eggs:

Ft St Vrain gave me a look at part of an egg. There's just a little bit of white in front of the left wing:

I caught dinnertime at the SW FL eagle cam:

Here's both Great Horned Owl babies snuggled up to momma:

I did some research today at the FAA Wildlife Strike Database. I am going to Vegas in six weeks and refuse to use the Norfolk airport, both in protest over the treatment of the NBG eagles and because of safety concerns at that airport. Today I compiled the data for the number of wildlife strikes at each airport since Mom Norfolk was killed on 4/26/11. Here's the graphs (looks to me like PHF is much safer than ORF):



Sad news. On Virginia's Eastern Shore, several Bald Eagles were poisoned. Four Bald Eagles are dead and another is receiving treatment at The Wildlife Center of Virginia. The culprit is lead poisoning. They are investigating if they were poisoned on purpose or accidentally. A lot of raptors are accidentally poisoned by hunters. If a hunter shoots but can't find the animal, it can die and the lead shot is then consumed by scavengers. Or, if a hunter field dresses an animal and leaves the gut pile where scavengers can get to it, they can ingest lead that way. Lead in the digestive tract leaches a lot of lead into an animal's body, often causing debilitation and death. If you know a hunter, please send a link to this article by The Wildlife Center of Virginia. Voluntary effort by hunters can really make a difference!

Eagle release announced and links to pictures and videos

I'm going to mention again the survey. It's on the left side of the page, below my bio. Please take the survey!

PABirder mentioned in the comments yesterday that the Wildlife Center of Virginia is going to do an eagle release Friday March 8th. It's at noon at the Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge near Warsaw. You are supposed to meet at the Wilna Lodge at the Refuge. You can read about the release here. I am unable to attend, but I hope someone goes and takes lots of pictures!

Duane posted some new pictures of Dad Norfolk and DT. DT is all grown up -- not a single dark speck among the white! She is beautiful! You can see Duane's new pictures here.

I just got the address of Dana's current website where she posts her pics. (This is Eaglelover on the forum.) She has some great pictures and has posted to her page as recently as February. She doesn't post her pictures on the forum very often, but she has taken some really amazing pictures! Check out her page here.

And some Today Show videos:

• Two dogs, Honey and Badger, that have really overcome adversity. They are siblings, both born without front legs. But they really get around! They need to be adopted together and it's hoped that they can become therapy dogs. I want to become involved with therapy dogs after I've retired. Here's a link to the video about Honey and Badger.
• This is a story about a blind dog. My best friend adopted a blind dog. I've never seen anyone more devoted to a dog. Here's his story: He was ignored by the Mom dog and by the people where he was born. And he had no life, no interaction. He would just sit with his head hanging. Then he went to a rescue group who worked with him. This dog developed to the point where he could run on the beach by following the sound of someone running. He could jump and play. He learned the lay-out of the house and could walk around unassisted. He was a great dog. I hope these two stories make people realize that special needs dogs can be great pets! Here's a link.
• Tiger pool parties, where people get to swim with Tiger cubs. The Florida zoo claims that it helps the cubs acclimate to people so they will do better in a zoo environment. But there's controversy surrounding the practice. If I had the chance, I'd swim with a Tiger cub! Here's the video. 

Survey, Norfolk Eagles Forum, Eagle locations, NBG eagle videos

Over in the left column, under my bio, is a survey. I'm wondering what kinds of wildlife everyone might be interested in. So please help me out and take the survey! It's open for a few days. Of course, I will be including items about Bald Eagles and some other raptors. If I didn't include your favorite wildlife as a survey choice, please let me know in a comment. Thanks!

Great news! The Norfolk Eagles Forum is not going away! A great big thanks to MagInAlex for stepping up and saving the day! I'm going to keep my blog going anyway. It was such a helpless feeling when the Forum Admins decided to close the forum. So, I'm keeping the blog. But I'll also be posting over at the forum and helping out as a site administrator.

Azalea (2009 nest band HH) and Camillia (2010 nest band NC) have checked in.

Azalea checked in on 3/2 at 3:00PM. I believe this is Suffolk:

Azalea's location on March 2nd at 3:00PM

And Camellia checked in on 3/2 at 11:00PM. He is still hanging out around First Landing State Park:

Camellia's location on March 2nd at 11:00PM


NX (2011 nest) hasn't checked in since 2/25, when she was still less than 3 miles from where she was released in 2012. She wanders around in areas that don't have great cell coverage and can go for some time without checking in.

I came across the Norfolk Botanical Garden's archives of Eagle Cam videos. Here's a link. The videos are from the last nesting season, before Mom Norfolk died.

Bald Eagle news and wildlife pictures

Bald Eagles in the news:

• Bald Eagles Liberty and Justice are captive Bald Eagles. This year they built a nest and laid two eggs. But the eggs were not fertile. Read about it here.
• This one has been in the news a few days. A captive Bald Eagle named Sequoia was on the loose for a few days, but was eventually lured back. I'm a little conflicted about this one. I think it's great that she is able to fly free and exercise. But she has not come back to her handlers so many times I'm concerned that one time she may not find her way back -- I'd imagine she's incapable of surviving in the wild.
• On Sunday, there is a free event on Kisatchie National Forest bald eagles. David Hancock will give a presentation and then there is a short hike to see the nest. Wish I lived near there! Come back and leave a comment if you are able to attend. It looks like we'll have a new cam at this location for next nesting season! Get the details here. You can also learn about Kisatchie National Forest.
• There's an opportunity to view nesting bald eagles at the Heinz Wildlife Refuge. You can read about the refuge here.
• The next few weeks are a great time to see Bald Eagles in Nebraska. The end of this story gives ideas on where to go.

New pictures:

• ShutterBugBob has started a gallery of photos of NBG Nest Offspring, with a picture of HK added today.
• JugglerJim has a bunch of recent pictures on his site.
• Shelly recently went to the release of a Red Tail Hawk and a Cooper's Hawk.
• Duane has some new pictures. Look in the Recently Added area.
• Mike Inman has pictures of Dad Norfolk and DT in his Recently Added area. I don't know how recent they are as there are no dates. But they are definitely worth a look!
• Rhoda has some great pictures and it seems she updates often.
• Looks like Sam (DegasGoneDigital) posts fairly often. Lots of new pictures posted this week.

Videos from the Dedication of the Eagle Plaza

These are my videos that I took on October 15, 2011 when the Eagle Plaza was dedicated to Mom Norfolk.

Banners (0:16)
Dedication area (0:48) This is the field where the dedication was held. The crowd has already started to gather.
Eagle Kite (0:58) This is in the field where the dedication was held. I really like this! (I want one!)
Dedication part 1 (7:20) Donald R Buma, Norfolk Botanical Garden Executive Director, welcomes the eagle nation and introduces Steve Living, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
Dedication part 2 (2:59) Donald R Buma introduces Tod A. Smith, WVEC-TV President & General Manager.
Dedication part 3 (6:40) Donald R Buma introduces Reese Lukei, Research Associate and Moderator from the Center for Consevation Biology at the College of William and Mary.
Dedication part 4 (3:52) Donald R Buma recognizes the mod squad, Tim Nuckols (Nuckols Tree Care), and Ed Clark (Wildlife Center of Virginia). He introduces Renee Wampler, Chair of Norfolk Botanical Garden Education Comittee to read a poem written by Poplar Halls Elementary School 5th graders Russell Bell, Lauryn Anderson-Davis, Kiara Gray, and Kahmile Whitby.
Dedication part 5 (2:19) Donald R Buma introduces David McDonald, who is providing an upgraded camera for the eagle cam: HD, wide angle, infrared, and with sound. He also recognizes Sherry Widmer's children's song: Norfolk Bald Eaglets Three. Then he introduced Holly Lamar, to perform her new single "Eagle."
Dedication part 6 (11:07) Holly Lamar makes some remarks before performing her new song "Eagle." During her remarks, an eagle flew overhead. Then she performs her new song.
Dedication part 7 (3:02) Donald R Buma points out where the eagle statues are throughout the garden. He then introduces Ann P Stokes, of Landscape Architects, who designed the eagle plaza. We are then invited to go over to the eagle plaza.
Reveal of the sculpture “Spilling the Wind” (1:50) This is the reveal of the sculpture, with MVK, congowings, Steve Living, Reese Lukei and Perry Mathewes doing the honors.
Eagle Tribute Plaza (1:32)
Nest and Sticks (0:36) (I know, another one of sticks. But I've included the nest in this one!)
Eagle People! (4:27) This is my favorite video from the day! I know I missed a lot of people. I remember a bunch of people that were there, but they aren’t on here. Sorry! But I’ll be out again at more events and I look forward to making part 2, and 3, and 4… And you can always come up to me to get your “spot” recorded!
Osprey (0:17) This osprey flew over the dedication area.
Flying in at sunset (0:16) The perfect ending to the perfect day! This was shot at 6:52PM and sunset was at 6:30PM. So, it was pretty dark!

NBG Nest Details From 2007 - 2012

The following details of the nesting seasons of the Norfolk Botanical Garden Eagle nest are copied from the Norfolk Eagles Forum with Ann's permission.

Some of the links will stop working once the forum goes away.

2007 Nesting Season:

Norfolk Eagles 2007

DGIF Links:
Jan. 31, 2007 - First Egg
Feb. 2, 2007 - Second Egg
Feb. 7, 2007 - Third Egg
Apr. 17, 2007 - Eaglets Banded
Jun. 1, 2007 - 2 Oldest Eaglets Fledge
Jun. 2, 2007 - Making Up For Lost Time-Youngest Male Fledges (with a couple glitches)

2008 Nesting Season:

Friday, Feb. 1, 2008, 1st egg laid
Monday, Feb. 4, 2008, 2nd egg laid
Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2008, removal of the eggs after being abandoned
Sunday, Mar. 16 - 1st egg of second clutch
Wednesday, Mar. 19, 2008 - 2nd egg of second clutch
Thursday, Mar. 20, 2008 - eggs broken
Saturday, Mar. 22, 2008 - 3rd egg of second clutch laid
Sunday, Apr. 27, 2008 - video clip confirming the hatching of our eaglet!
Thursday, May 22, 2008 - eaglet removed from nest for biopsy and examination video link/ he was then transferred to the Wildlife Center of Virginia
Saturday, July 12, 2008 - Eaglet undergoes surgery at Wildlife Center of Virginia

Amy Dagnall
Public Relations Manager
Norfolk Botanical Garden

Summary of 2008 Eagle Nesting Season at Norfolk Botanical Garden
2007
Sept. 2007 - Eagles bring first sticks to new nest tree.
Dec. 13, 2007 - Camera moved and infrared light added to new nest tree.
2008
January 2008 - New nest completed.
January 30 - Great horned owl visits nest at night-infrared allows views on Eagle Cam and photos to be taken.
February 1 - 1st egg laid.
February 4 - 2nd egg laid.
February 14 - Intruder female eagle disrupts incubation.
February 16 - Resident female eagle disappears – eggs not viable.
February 19 - Eggs removed from nest.
February 22 - Intruder female departs – NBG female returns unharmed.
March 16 - 1st egg of second clutch laid.
March 19 - 2nd egg of second clutch laid.
March 20 - Something agitates female - jumps up and break both eggs.
March 22 - 3rd egg of second clutch laid.
April 27 - The eaglet hatches.
May 17 - Growth noticed on eaglet’s beak.
May 22 - Eaglet removed from nest for examination and biopsy, then
transferred to the Wildlife Center of Virginia for biopsy and MRI.
May 27 - Biopsy reveals growth is viral Avian Pox – antibiotics, antifungal and immune booster treatment started. Adult eagles at NBG visit the nest less, but still are seen at the Garden.
May 31 - Growing lesion makes it difficult for eaglet to eat. Interferon
treatment starts.
June 10 - Mass is shrinking – plans for surgery continue.
July 7 - Surgery is scheduled for July 12.
July 9 - Lesion dries up and falls off.
July 12 - Surgery removes damaged tissue on inside and outside of beak.
Upper beak tip cut back because of crooked growing pattern. A brace is wired to lower beak.
July 17 - Eaglet develops crop infection. Loose brace is removed.
July 26 - Eaglet eating solid food again. Beak will continue to be shaped
to produce straighter growth.
August 11 - Test results show eaglet is a boy!
September - Adult eagles at NBG continue to visit the old nest tree.
October 22 - Pox lesion did not permanently scar the growth plate of the beak. Eaglet continues to eat well, grow and received bi-weekly beak
trims. Eaglet is moved to a larger flight pen.
November - Adult eagles at NBG begin to rebuild old nest.

More information about the 2008 Norfolk Botanical Garden Eagle nesting season can be found by clicking the links on this page or visiting the websites of:
●WVEC Channel 13 - www.wvec.com/cams/eagle
●Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries - www.dgif.virginia.gov/eaglecam
●Wildlife Center of Virginia - www.wildlifecenter.org
● The Center for Conservation Biology - http://ccb.wm.edu

2009 Nesting Season:

2008
Week of Sept 14-19 - first reports of nestorations at "old" (2007) nest tree.
Dec. 10 - camera moved / eagles nestoring original nest
2009
Jan. 9 - first observed mating
Feb. 10 - The first egg of this season's brood was laid this afternoon at approximately 4:10 pm. VDGIF Blog
Feb. 13 - At approximately 5:05 pm on Friday Feb. 13th a second egg was laid at the Norfolk Botanical Garden. VDGIF Blog
Feb. 17 - Shortly after midnight the third egg of 2009 was laid. VDGIF Blog
Mar. 21 - 1st eaglet hatched between 12:00 and 12:30 pm (HK) VDGIF Blog
Mar. 22 - 2nd eaglet hatched about 8:48 am (HH-Azalea) VDGIF Blog
Mar. 25 - 3rd eaglet confirmed shortly after 9 a.m. (HE) VDGIF Blog
Apr. 22 - Eaglets Banded Norfolk Botanical Garden website
Youtube Video
VDGIF Blog
May 20 - Transmitter Placement - Nestling named Azalea VDGIF Blog
Norfolk Botanical Garden
May 27 - #1 HK observed branching VDGIF Blog
June 2 - #3 HE falls from the nest video clip
VDGIF Blog
June 3 - #1 HK First Flight! #3 HE renested HK fledge - HE renested - video clips
June 8 - #3 HE Fledges
June 13 - # 2 Azalea Fledges!CCB Blog
VDGIF Blog
July 20 - HK last seen at NBG
July 27 - HE last seen at NBG
Aug. 21 - Last Sighting of Azalea at NBG
Aug. 24 - WVEC Camera feed shut down for the 2009 nesting season

2010 Nesting Season:

2009
Sept 26 - reported sighting of nest work at both old (2004) and new (2008) nests
Dec. 11 - the NBG eagle cam camera was connected and a new infrared light was installed/email from Reese Lukei
2010
Jan. 5 - first observed mating reported by Reese Lukei
Jan. 13 - Live Cam Feed
Jan. 26 - Eagle pair return to the nest during the night for the first time prior to egg laying. Reese Lukei's Blog
Jan. 31 - First Egg 2:14 pm
Feb. 3 - Second Egg 11:50 am
Feb. 6 - Third Egg at 12:29
Mar. 11 - DGIF The First Egg Has Hatched ~ CCB First Hatchling March 11, 2010. ~ 1:10 pm
Mar. 13 ~ Second chick - official hatch time /CCB is midnight
Mar. 14 ~ Third Eaglet hatched - first sighting shortly after 09:00 am /CCB
Mar. 31 ~ 1 eaglet successfully banded (NC) - Dr Watts Letter
Apr. 19 ~ First self feeding for NC and #2 - CCB Blog
May 5 ~ Camellia (NC) named and transmittered YouTube vid. - the other two eaglets were banded - ND and NE
May 27 - Camellia Fledges at 8:09 p.m.
May 29 - ND fledges at 6:52 a.m.
May 31 - NE Fledges at 12:30 p.m.
Jun 13 - NE rescued from the canal
Jun 30 The camera has been shut down ending the 2010 nesting season

2011 Nesting Season:

2010
Sep. 26 - Photos of the nest shared by Duane Noblick show the eagles have brought fresh material to the nest. They haven't been observed working on it as yet.
Oct. 11 - Local photographers notice the eagles begin the construction of a possible new nest located behind and near the 2008 nest.
Dec. 29 - camera moved to the new nest tree
2011
Jan. 16 - First Mating? posted on CCB Blog
Jan. 18 - WVEC Live Cam feed begins
Feb. 3 - First egg at 14:49 ~ CCB Eagle Nest Blog - NBG video - VDGIF
Feb. 6 - second egg at 4:56 pm - CCB Eagle Nest Blog - WVEC Video - video link
Feb. 9 - Third egg laid at 5:55 pm - first sighting Feb. 11 at 08:57 - CCB Eagle Nest Blog - NBG - video link
Mar. 13 - First eaglet hatched - CCB Eagle Nest Blog - VDGIF - video link
Mar. 15 - Second eaglet hatches - CCB Eagle Nest Blog - video link
Mar. 17 - Third eaglet hatches - CCB Eagle Nest Blog - VDGIF
Apr. 21 - Banding Day - CCB Photos - Videos by WVEC NBG
#1 - NZ - female - 7.5 lbs
#2 - NX - female - 6.78 lbs
#3 - NV - male - 5.75 lbs
Apr. 26 - Female Struck By Plane
Apr. 27 - Eaglets Removed From Nest

2012 Nesting Season:

2011
Sep. 29, 2011 - NBG Eagle Pair 2011-12 Season!!!
Sep. 30, 2011 - Stick delivery to 2011 nest
Oct. 12, 2011 - First screen captures NBG Camera Turned On Today Oct 12
Oct. 15, 2011 - "Spilling The Wind" Eagle Sculpture Dedicated
Nov. 2011 - Three new cameras installed. Two cameras focus on the nest while one camera provides images of the beautiful area surrounding the nest
2012
Jan. 11, 2012 - VDGIF Blog: Eagle Found at Norfolk Botanical Garden (Eagle found dead on Jan. 6, 2012) - WVEC report
Jan. 19, 2012 - Dr Bryan Watts statement on 2 recent Eagle Deaths at Norfolk Botanical Garden
Jan. 21, 2012 - Replacement Female confirmed.
Jan. 22, 2012 - Live eagle cam test feed. Four videos that RFG posted: first, close-up of male, close-up of female, early afternoon
Jan. 24, 2012 - Live Cam Feed
Jan. 31, 2012 - VDGIF withdraws from the Eagle Cam partnership Mar. 11, 2012 - Fourth Female of the Season Accepted By Male

My first post! An explanation and some links...

I created this blog because the Norfolk Eagles Forum is closing down. There are links and information there that I don't want to lose. And I want to be able to continue to post about the interesting things I find on the internet.

This first post is going to be mostly links that I've found in the past and had posted on the Forum. Here's what I've found that still works.

Pictorial guide to figuring the age of Bald Eagles

Pages of bird pictures I haven't been through all of these pages of pictures. But there are some real beauties in here. I did find one inappropriate pic, so you are forewarned.

Training for nest monitors in Iowa There is some really great info here for anyone that wants to observe or photograph Bald Eagles.

Someones idea of the 3 best national parks for seeing Bald Eagles.

Lawrence Lewis Jr Park on the James River

The SW FL eagle cam (Ozzie and Harriet)

Longevity Records of North American Birds This is a great web site! It gives the oldest ages that have been determined for North American birds. Very interesting. It covers how the age was determined, where the bird was, and if it was dead or alive.

Carolina Bird Club Eagle pics

Articles to read There are two articles here, so scroll down for the second article. Here's a quote, "If I see an eagle, and I've got a gun, I'm taking a shot at it."

Osprey fishing video This video is incredible!

Bald Eagle costume It looks fairly easy to make this costume.

Article of Bald Eagles using a man-made nest

Video (documentary) about restoring Bald Eagles to the Channel Islands

VIMS Osprey Cam They are putting in a new cam for 2013. The cam was taken out by lightening.

The Beauty of Pollination I don't know who Ted is, but this video is awesome!

Video of an owl flying at a camera I like the outstretched feet and talons at the end.

Collective nouns for birds How to refer to a bunch of birds: A mob of Emus. A scold of Jays. A clamor of Rooks.

Three Bald Eagles fight over a fish A story with 2 pictures.

Events at the James River National Wildlife Refuge There is a lot of wildlife at the refuge.

 That's it for now. Thanks for looking!