West Nile Virus is Killing Bald Eagles in Utah, Bald Eagle NX's Location, Bald Eagles Killed In Montgomery County Md, Cold Weather Can Be Hard On Birds of Prey

Scientists have found that it's West Nile Virus that is killing Bald Eagles in Utah. The current count is 27 dead and many more in treatment. It's unusual for birds to get West Nile Virus this time of year because it is usually transmitted via mosquitoes. They are studying if the Bald Eagles are getting sick from eating Grebes that have died while migrating through the area. There is no cure for West Nile Virus. Rehabbers can only provide care and hope the immune system does the rest. 

Bald Eagle NX checked in on 12/28. She had flown 15 miles north of her previous location and is back in King George County.

Two Bald Eagles have been shot and killed in Montgomery County, Maryland. I hope they catch the people that did this.

Cold weather can hit birds of prey pretty hard. Having difficulty finding food can make road-kill more appealing. If you see a large bird feeding by the side of the road, slow down. Large birds can fly across the road and into the path of oncoming vehicles. It takes them a bit of distance to gain enough altitude to be out of the way.

Christmas Tree Disposal, Eagle Watch Week in Mineral Ridge Idaho, More of Duane Noblick's Pictures of Snowy Owls, Possible Bald Eagle Release in Front Royal VA

It's that time of year when people are looking to dispose of their Christmas trees. Here are some alternatives to the landfill. In Hampton, they can also be set out at the curb for recycling.

Eagle Watch Week is on in Mineral Ridge, Idaho.

Duane Noblick posted more pictures of Snowy Owls on the Norfolk Eagles Forum. He takes such awesome pictures and these owls are so pretty!
I think that a rehabilitated Bald Eagle will be released back into the wild in Front Royal, VA on New Years Day. Here's the story. Make sure you click the link for the rehabber's web site. There is conflicting release info...

Bald Eagle NX's Location, Bald Eagle HK - Mating or Bonding, NE Florida and SW Florida Nests Have Two Nestlings Each, Duane Noblick's Pictures of a Snowy Owl, Reese Lukei's Trip To Botswana, Bald Eagles Dying in Utah, Ron Dudley's Feathered Photography Blog

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! Wishing blessings to all in the New Year!

Bald Eagle NX checked in on Christmas day. She is 14 miles away from her 12/14 check-in.

Pam Monahan had a visit with Bald Eagle HK and got pictures of mating or bonding... Check out her blog entry...

The Northeast Florida and Southwest Florida Bald Eagle nests both have two hatchlings now. And so it begins again!

Duane Noblick got some really great pictures of a Snowy Owl. So pretty!

Reese has a blog entry about a recent trip to Botswana.

Something is killing Bald Eagles in Utah. Scientists think it is a disease as opposed to a toxin.

I haven't looked at Ron Dudley's Feathered Photography blog recently. Here are some interesting posts:

• Female Kestrel - Twisting, Turning Take-off
• Rough-legged Hawk in a Frosty Wonderland
• Rust on Rust - Female American Kestrel
• The Phantom Pheasant
• The Menacing Talons of a Prairie Falcon
• A Barn Owl Hunting (and a Bald Eagle)
• Red-tailed Hawk Sucker-punched by a Kestrel

Bald Eagle Camellia's Location, Pam Monahan's Post About Bald Eagle HK, First Hatch of the Season at the Northeast Florida Eagle Cam Nest, Berry College Eagle Cam

I know I already posted once today. But that was another rant about the NBG nest. And there is other Bald Eagle news to blog about, so, here's a bonus post for today!

Bald Eagle Camellia checked in. His solar battery doesn't do very well when it's overcast, so we missed him during all of our recent rainy weather. As it turns out, he's close to home!

Pam Monahan had another really great visit with Bald Eagle HK out at Honey Bee Golf Course yesterday. I really enjoy getting the story along with the pictures!

Congratulations to the proud parents at the Northeast Florida Eagle Cam nest! The first egg hatched today. The second egg at this nest (and the first one at the Southwest Florida nest) should hatch in the next couple of days. Here's the scene at the Northeast Florida nest - Mom was very alert and adjusted the soft grasses several times while I watched:

I also like to check in with the Berry College Eagle Cam nest. You just never know who is going to be at home. This pair seem to be at the nest quite often. I can usually find one at home in the evening and tonight I found both at home:

Removal Of Bald Eagle Nest At The Norfolk Botanical Garden -- More Details

The Pilot Online has an article about the recent removal of the Bald Eagle nest at the Norfolk Botanical Garden (NBG). This was the eighth nest removal. There is a poll with the article (on the left below the related links) asking if Norfolk should continue with the nest removal. Last night, it was at 90% for no. Today, it's up to 93% for no. (That's with 6% for yes and 1% not sure.) I don't think that the Norfolk officials are going to listen though. It seems that there are fragile egos at play. There is no reason other than pride for the Mayor and the City Council to continue with this stupidity. Hey, Norfolk officials, I'm talking to you: Set aside your pride, listen to the experts, and control the problem by intensifying efforts at the airport.

The article talks about how much membership and revenue are down at NBG. I let my membership lapse but never provided a reason why. I'm sure it's more than 8% of people that left NBG because of the treatment of the Bald Eagles.

I will not spend any money in Norfolk as long as this mistreatment of Dad Norfolk and DT continues. I refuse to pay any sales taxes to Norfolk. I use the airport in Newport News instead of Norfolk. (And that's for safety reasons as well, since I don't consider the Norfolk airport to be safe since they don't mitigate the risk of all wildlife at the airport. Just this Band-Aid to make it appear like they are doing something.) If you haven't watched my video showing all of the birds that are on Lake Whitehurst (the body of water that separates the airport from NBG), please check it out. I originally shot this video just because it's nature. But it really shows the extent of the problem.

Please support the Bald Eagles and push for safety at the airport for all concerned. I recommend that you not spend any money in Norfolk and if you are a city resident, vote out the guilty parties. (Keep in mind that Tommy Smigiel is on the City Council and is in favor of leaving the eagles alone and fixing the problem at the airport. So, don't vote him out!)

Africam Black Eagle

I had a comment about the Africam Black Eagle. I hadn't been watching this nest, but decided to check it out. The comment said that the nestling hadn't eaten in a couple of days. Sometimes nature can be harsh. But the chat said that "Ness" had eaten last night before bed and again this morning. So, all appears to be well at this nest and they are on fledge watch. This nest is located in Johannesburg, South Africa. What a beautiful scene on the camera! There's a waterfall on the right. Lots of sounds of rushing water...

The Norfolk Botanical Garden Bald Eagle Nest Is Torn Down Again, Bald Eagles NX and KE's Locations, Northeast Florida Eagle Cam on Pip/Hatch Watch, Converting Algae to Crude Oil, Multivitamins, Penguins Staying Warm, Threat to Habitat of African Lesser Flamingos

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.

Bald Eagles Dad Norfolk and DT, Center For Conservation Biology's Eagle Nest Blog Article About Their Transmitter Program, Bald Eagle Camellia's Location, New Post About Bald Eagle HK on Pam Monahan's Notes From The Nest Blog

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!

Location for Bald Eagle KE, SW Florida, NE Florida, Berry College, and Eagles4kids Eagle Cams, Eagle Cam Behind the Scenes, Sink Holes, Bonobo Apes, Egg Agents, National Zoo's Baby Panda

Reese has posted a new location for Bald Eagle KE. She knows where she likes to hang out!

The Southwest Florida Eagle Cam has a 'hatch watch' clock showing 10 more days... The Southeast Florida Eagle Cam doesn't have the fancy clock, but the first egg arrived three days earlier, so... I'll let you do the math. I looked in on both of these nests tonight and it looked like business as usual. I couldn't look at the Berry College Eagle Cam tonight. Something wrong with the feed...

The Eagles4kids nest is full of snow. But I see footprints, so someone has been there. Their web page shows that it's a brisk -18 degrees there tonight...

I was looking in on the Sooner Lake Eagle Cam and saw a link for "Eagle Cam Behind the Scenes." I have a technical background and find stuff like this to be interesting. If you aren't interested in that sort of thing, at least check out the pictures!
 
A huge sinkhole opened up in Bosnia. It seems like I'd never heard of such a thing, but now it's a common occurrence. Is this a case of the world becoming smaller due to the internet, or are these happening now and they didn't used to? I looked at the accompanying slide-show and only one picture was from earlier than the year 2000.

Bonobo apes in a German zoo have gone high-tech. They can control which channel is played.

Egg agents recruit women to sell their eggs. This is interesting to me. Part of me feels these women are taking an incredible risk that they may not have any eggs left when they are ready to start their own family. Women only have as many eggs as they are born with, and once they are gone (normally at a rate of one per month) they are gone. Some can view this as incredibly generous and some can view this as putting money above all else. I'm conflicted about this one...

The National Zoo has selected a name for their baby Panda. There is also a video of her first steps at the end of the story. You can't help but cheer her on!

Bald Egle Camellia's Location, Pam Monahan's Awesome Blog Post About Bald Eagle HK, Rhoda Gerig's Awesome Bald Eagle Video, Endangered Species Act Could Be In Danger, Obese Kids, The Book "Shake"

Reese has posted a blog entry showing Bald Eagle Camellia's locations from Nov 23 to Dec 4 which shows him back in the local area at Stumpy Lake.

Pam Monahan has the most awesome post about Bald Eagle HK in her December 4th entry. She got some awesome pictures (including a bird bath) and tells a great story about her time with HK.

Rhoda Gerig has posted a great Bald Eagle video on YouTube. You can read her comments on her post on the Norfolk Eagles Forum, then click the link to see the video. Have you ever seen a Bald Eagle run? Cracks me up every time! Great video Rhoda!

Check out this local article about the Endangered Species Act being in danger. It's a great article. And as a bonus, Reese Lukei took the picture of the Bald Eagle used in the article. (Reese does the updates for Camellia's locations -- my first link above.)

There is an obesity epidemic in this country. A whopping 17% of American kids ages 2-17 are obese! A new study finds that girls that are overweight are hitting puberty at a younger age than their thinner counterparts.

There's a book "Shake" containing picture of dogs shaking. Get a preview here. I just might have to get this book!

Hawk Kills a Dog, Smoking and Aging, Are We Alone In The Universe, Dinosaur Nests in Mongolia, Feral Cows, Backyard Chickens

I've been asked if a Bald Eagle can grab a small dog and carry it away. I'm sure if a dog is small enough this can happen. But there is another cause for concern. There was an incident recently in Norfolk where a Hawk killed a dog while it was in a yard. The owner wasn't right there with it, it was a fenced yard. So, even though the dog may be too large to be carried away, it can still be killed by a bird of prey. The best advice if you have a small dog is to have it on a leash while outside.

Does smoking make you look older? Twins were in a study where one smoked and the other either didn't smoke or smoked less than the other. There are pictures of three twins -- I tried to figure out which was the smoker before reading which was which. Check it out.

Are we alone in the universe? Are we alone in the Milky Way? There are 8.8 billion habitable planets in the Milky Way alone. So, the chance that we are alone in the Milky Way is 8.8 billion to 1? I'm just saying...

Dinosaur nests were found in Mongolia. There is a picture of one of the clutches of eggs. The article is interesting to me because they reach several conclusions based upon what they found.

Feral cows are menacing hikers. This is a story that came out at the end of October. They were looking for some cowboys to go in and round them up. I was hoping to see a follow-up to this story, but I couldn't find any updates online...

I want to have backyard chickens some day. The City of Hampton has recently started allowing backyard chickens. You aren't allowed to have any roosters and can have 4 hens. If you are shopping for chickens, I found My Pet Chicken web site to be great! They sell baby chicks and you can specify that you only want females. (A lot of web sites will only sell straight-run chicks. Which means that you could end up with roosters or hens.) They also have very helpful information and a breed recommender there if you are new to keeping chickens. You have to apply for a permit at the Treasurer's Office on Franklin Street ($25) and the city has to inspect your set-up. Here's a link to the Chicken Keeping Application. They are only allowed at single-family residences. They can only be kept for domestic use (not to sell eggs or meat.) Shelters must be 25 feet away from neighboring buildings (the reason I can't have chickens.) I cant' find the ordinance online, but here's Hampton's news release with all the details. Here's a cool chicken coop that comes in two sizes. I love the snap/lock design and the low maintenance materials. Good luck if you are going to keep chickens!

Pam Monahan's Blog, Pilot Whale Stranding, Eagle Steals Video Camera, Berry College Eagle Cam

Check out Pam Monahan's blog posts for the month of November. Funny, but she's not the first Bald Eagle watcher to be quizzed by the police... Pam is doing a great job of documenting HK's time spent at Honey Bee Golf Course. If you are local and head that way to see him, please be mindful that he spooks if you get too close. You never want to do anything to cause wildlife to change their behavior. You can cause them to needlessly expend energy, abandon young, lose prey, etc... While on the subject of Pam, you can also find great pics of HK on her photography site.

A pod of Pilot Whales is in trouble. They are in shallow water and need to move out to deeper water. A group of people are working to try to save them. But some have already died and some had to be euthanized. I hope biologists can figure out what causes whales to do this. I think it might be a case of healthy whales not wanting to leave sick whales (loved ones?). It's interesting that whales might feel that kind of connection to each other...

Have you guys heard about the Eagle that stole a video camera that rangers had set up to record Crocodiles? The camera disappeared back in May and was recently found almost 70 miles away. Check out the video -- watch it to the end to see selfie footage of the thief! (The rangers plan to bolt down their cameras in the future...)

So excited when I looked in on the Berry College Eagle Cam tonight! I couldn't get the screen capture program open fast enough! I was scared something would happen to spoil the picture. But YAY! I got the picture! I wonder if the one that's standing is the female or if it just looks larger because it is in closer proximity to the camera. I would think that the female would be the one to lie down in the nest and tuck in her head, especially if her feet are still injured or permanently damaged (see write up on camera page). So I wonder, who's who?

Location Updates for Bald Eagles Camellia, KE, and NX, The Wildlife Center of Virginia's Annual Gala, Thanksgiving at WCV, Duane's Backyard Bluebirds, Rhoda Gerig's Video of The Reveal of WCV's New Bear Enclosure, Check Your Chimney and Stive Pipe Caps

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

There have been some Bald Eagle location updates posted since my last mention.
Bald Eagle Camellia's update on 11/22.
Bald Eagle KE's update on 11/23.
That's the most recent update on the CCB blog. I tried to look at the data explorer to get a more recent update on Camellia, but the site is acting funny...
There are also some recent location updates for Bald Eagle NX. She is still in the area of the Machadoc Creek.

There is an update on the training page for Bald Eagle Buddy. It's about the annual fundraiser put on by The Wildlife Center of Virginia (WCV). Pictures are included... I assume there are pictures of Buddy in there, but there are so many pictures and I have looked at a bunch and am nowhere near the end...

Check out this post about Thanksgiving at WCV. Talk about having a lot of mouths to feed...

Duane has posted some pics and links to videos of his back yard Bluebirds on the forum. He gets such great detail in his pics. And I love the bird bath video.

The Wildlife Center of Virginia recently had their big reveal of their new Bear Enclosures. I received a letter from them when they were trying to fund this project. So, I can say that I helped build this! Congratulations to them for getting it finished. And thanks to Rhoda Gerig for capturing the big reveal in the above link!

Here's another warning to help keep wildlife safe: A couple I know couldn't figure out what was wrong with the fan for their pellet stove. So, they took it apart and found more than 40 dead songbirds that had gotten in the stove pipe and couldn't get back out. They put a cap on their chimney pipe to prevent this from happening again. Please check your chimneys and stove pipes!