Rhoda Gerig posted some new Bald Eagle pictures on her site. I don't see an explanation, so I'm not sure if this is one of the Eagles from the nest that she watches...
Duane has posted some new pictures on his site. Some backyard birds, Osprey and Bald Eagle pics. The Norfolk Eagles are still trying to build a nest. I appreciate Duane bringing us the pictures!
And since we are on the subject of the Norfolk Eagles, I'm going to proceed with a rant right now: I think that the city of Norfolk is subjecting these Eagles to cruel and inhumane treatment. Shame on them. They have continually allowed these Eagles to build a new nest, only to tear it down. I hope that they do not cause this pair to break up. Their bond has not been strengthened by raising a brood of eaglets. I am worried that this second year of failure will cause them to seek new mates. The people responsible for this are the Norfolk City Council and the Norfolk City Manager. If you live in Norfolk, please vote these people out:
- Norfolk City Manager Marcus D Jones
- Mayor Paul D Fraim
- Andrew A Protogyrou
- Theresa W Whibley
- Anthony L Burfoot
- Paul R Riddick
- Barclay Winn
- Angelia Williams
On Ron Dudley's blog, Feathered Photography, he has a post today about fighting Short-eared Owls. He's got some interesting pictures of two males fighting over a female. I love the second to last picture of the series!
A nest cam at Duke Farms has captured video of a Hawk attacking a Bald Eagle sitting on a nest, incubating eggs/babies (no way to tell which). The Bald Eagle jumped up and took down that hawk so fast. But the Hawk didn't die right away. In fact, I'm worried that the Eagle may have been injured. He stands on the Hawk for a long time, reaching down pulling with his beak. Hawks also have hooked beaks and sharp talons. I fear that the Hawk may have had a good hold on the Eagle. Eventually, the Hawk was served as dinner. But I think he had ahold of the Eagle for a while... At least for as long as the Eagle was reaching down with it's beak and pulling. I think he was trying to get the Hawk to let go. The first time I watched this video, I was wondering why it was going on and on. Then I realized that they were probably at a stalemate for a while. Then at some point, I think the Hawk finally died and he started plucking it. That's when he starts having feathers stuck to his beak. Hopefully, the Eagle is ok. I can't imagine what the Hawk was thinking, coming after a Bald Eagle... Anyway, there are 3 parts posted, with a 12 minute break between part 1 and part 2 where the eagle just lays and pants. In fact, you can skip the first 3 minutes of part 2… Then Part 3 is when Mom comes home and finds the mess that Dad made! All this happened with eggs/babies in the nest. So, there’s been some worry. The camera angle doesn’t allow you to see into the nest bowl. But this happened right when hatching was expected. And one of the adults resumed incubating after things settled down. Then it looked like feeding was happening later in the day. So, maybe it worked out ok…
The fourth Sooner Lake eaglet has hatched. It is a very long process, when the eaglet struggles to get out of the shell. It seems that the eaglet got out of the shell, but hasn't moved since hatching. I'm going to wait until we see what tomorrow brings before I agree that the fourth hatch didn't make it. Sometimes, they just need to rest for a while after hatching...
Chris, here is a link for the Harrison Bay Eagle Cam in Tennessee, that I have been enjoying, in case you want to check it out
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ustream.tv/channel/harrison-bay-eagle-cam
The pair reminds me of the original Norfolk eagles
I was actually looking at the Harrison Bay cam earlier today! That nest is littered with food -- what great providers! And I just got some more screen caps at feeding time. Thanks for sharing the link!
DeleteSo many eagle cams, so little time!