Two Hatchlings at the Northeast Florida Nest and One So Far At The Southwest Florida Nest

Babies!!! Both of the Northeast Florida hatchlings have arrived, on 12/23 and 12/25. And one of the Southwest Florida babies has hatched today. The parent also seems to be more stable. Hatch watch continues for the second egg. Here is a fantastic video of the second hatch at the Northeast Florida nest.

Pip at the Northeast Florida Bald Eagle Nest!, and Problems Continue at the Southwest Florida Nest

We have a pip today (and should have a hatch tomorrow) at the Northeast Florida nest!

One of the parents continues to struggle with balance issues at the Southwest Florida nest.

Trouble at the Southwest Florida Bald Eagle Nest, Northwest Florida Nest is on Hatch Watch, Nestoration at Berry College, Charitable Giving

One of the Southwest Florida Bald Eagle parents is having problems balancing. I've seen videos of Bald Eagles suffering from lead poisoning that act like this. Here is a link to a video from today of the nest. It is very hard to see a Bald Eagle struggling like this. The eagle will die if it doesn't receive chelation therapy to remove the lead. (Chelation therapy is where a chemical binds to the lead so it can be eliminated from the body. The Wildlife Center of Virginia has had to treat a lot of birds with chelation therapy. Sometimes it's successful, and sometimes the damage is too great to allow recovery...) The eggs are also in jeopardy due to the unsteady parent. A fall or mis-step can result in a broken egg. Plus, it takes two parents to keep the eggs and young safe while the other hunts and chases off intruders. The odds of this nest having a good outcome if this is lead poisoning is very low. Even if the parent gets treatment, it will leave only one adult to do everything. I've only heard of one nest that succeeded after the loss of one parent. This nest is on hatch watch toward the end of this week. Here's a link to the Southwest Florida cam. You can read my previous posts about lead poisoning in Bald Eagles. Please read these posts and help to educate any hunters among your friends and family!

The Northwest Bald Eagle nest is also on hatch watch. Their eggs were laid three days before the Southwest Florida nest. So, we should see a hatch there this week. Here is a link to the Northwest Florida cam.

There has been a lot of activity at the Berry College Bald Eagle nest, as the parents prepare for eggs. Now is a good time to start watching this nest since the parents are making several stops at the nest every day. They are bringing sticks, soft grasses, and Dad is wooing Mom with food. It's fun to watch them take turns moving the same stick until they are both satisfied with its location. here's a link to the Berry College cam.

I have just made my end of year donations. Please consider these organizations. Donations help them and provide a tax deduction for you. For wildlife, I donate to these organizations and specify that my donation is for the treatment/conservation of Bald Eagles:

• the Center for Conservation Biology
• the Wildlife Center of Virginia
• the non-game program of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries

I also give every year to Heifer. (Chickens, Honey Bees, and shares of Heifers, Pigs, and Water Buffalos are my favorites.) If you are not familiar with them, check out the link above. I love the pay-it-forward aspect!

EGGS!! Nest Cam Round-up: NEFL and SWFL Nests Have Eggs, Nestorations at the Berry College Nest, and A Tree Falls On the White-bellied Sea Eagle Camera

We have eggs at the two Florida nests! The Northeast Florida (NEFL) nest had the first egg laid on 11/16 and the second egg was laid today, right on schedule. These pictures are right after the first egg was laid.

These pictures are right after the second egg was laid today.

And this is the scene at the nest tonight. This is the view from cam1, with Mom facing away from that cam:

And this is from cam2, it looks like the cams are pretty much opposite of each other:

Then a little later, Mom turned around. Cam1:

The Southwest Florida (SWFL) nest also has an egg, laid today! This is right after Mom laid the egg:


Dad arrived at the nest shortly afterward. He was announcing to the world that he had an egg!

And this is the scene tonight:

The Berry College residents are at the nest pretty regularly now as they do nestorations in preparation for eggs. The nest is starting to look good: guard rails, soft grass, and a nest bowl have been prepared. These two s'caps are from 11/6 (harsh light):

There was another visit later in the day.

Then I caught this visit on 11/10. I think this is Dad doing some stick work.

Then, finally, I caught them both at home on 11/14. Dad was doing nestorations and Mom was supervising.

The wind gave them funny hair-dos.

Dad tested the fit of the nest bowl.

Eventually, Mom flew away (she's inside the circle):

 

One of the cameras at the White-bellied Sea Eagle nest caught a tree coming down in a storm. (Not the nest tree!) They have kept their cams streaming even though the nest failed. It's pretty wild seeing this tree disintegrate on camera!

New Hope for Norfolk Botanical Garden Bald Eagles Dad Norfolk and Dirty Tail

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!

Pretty Birds!

Check out these pretty birds!

Parent at the Berry College Bald Eagle Nest

I've continued to see sticks added to the Berry College Bald Eagle nest. Finally, today, I caught one of the parents at home. I'm not sure if this is Mom or Dad...

Nestorations At Berry College Nest

Look at all of the sticks that have been added to the Berry College nest! I've checked in periodically at this nest and have only caught the parents at home at night when they decide to stay the night at the nest. I wish I could catch them doing nestorations... Here's the picture 10/20. (Compare it to the picture in my last post.)

Here's a picture of them on 10/7, spending the night at the nest. (One on the branch and one in the nest.)

White-bellied Sea Eagle Chick Necropsy Results

Some of the test results are in for the necropsy of the White-bellied Sea Eagle chick that died in the nest in Sydney. You can read about it here. We are still waiting on toxicology results and some other test results.

Nest Cam Round-up: Berry College, Northeast Florida, and Southwest Florida

There's been visits and activity at the Berry College Bald Eagle nest. This first s'cap is from 9/29. Feathers in the nest from a recent meal...

This the overhead shot from the new cam, taken on 10/1. This cam is supposed to have sound. But the sound isn't turned on yet.

The adults are spending tonight at the nest. Mom is in the nest and Dad is perched on the front branch to the right.

I can make them both out on the approach cam:

And from the overhead cam, Mom has finally tucked in her head for the night.

The Northeast Florida and Southwest Florida nest cams are streaming too. Here's some shots of these nests tonight. There are three views of the Northeast nest on the same page:

This is a s'cap of the SW Florida nest tonight. They also have an approach cam, but it's so dark I'm not posting a s'cap of it tonight.

I'm so excited for a new season to start.

My Last S'caps and Notes Of White-bellied Sea Eagle SE13

The last time I had posted s'caps of the White-bellied Sea Eagle before it died was on 9/4. And even though I'm still saddened by its passing, it's time to get back in the saddle. So, here's the rest of my s'caps that I had taken since the 4th.
On 9/5 during the overnight, you could see the growing baby is not quite covered by Mom.

I didn't get to see the baby when I checked in during their daylight hours since Mom was protecting it from another day of rain. You can see how well Mom's water-proofing is working -- the rain is beading and rolling off of her back.

I got a few good s'caps of the nest on 9/8. Zoomer gave us some nice close-ups. The pin feathers are clearly visible.

I think this is Mom.

It was very windy on 9/10. I got some family s'caps when Dad brought a fish to the nest and Mom was right on his heels to take it and feed the baby. I love this s'cap of the baby, taken right before Dad lands with the fish.

Mom came in right behind him.

She wanted that fish. There is a very definite provider role for the Dad at this nest. I don't have experience with Sea Eagles to know if that's a Sea Eagle trait or if it's particular to this nest/pair. I've observed that if Dad wants to eat something, he needs to get his fill before he brings it to the nest. Because Mom will keep him from getting anything that's in the nest. Here she is using her beak to take the fish from Dad.

This would be a great family s'cap if only the baby had been facing the cam. Drats!

Then on 9/11 I caught them awake early in the morning. I didn't know at the time that this would be my last day observing the little one.

An hour and a half later and the IR cam is off and we can see the nest in color.

I like this s'cap because the upper beak is shown against the lighter leaf in the background. The hook is starting to develop.

During an early morning nap, the baby was trying different sleeping positions. I didn't realize at the time that it may have been uncomfortable due to whatever caused its death.

 

Later in the morning, during a feeding attempt, the baby stood up. This is a milestone in its development.

Look at all of those pin feathers!

 A little later in the day I found the cam zoomed in again. I love close-ups!
 

Ut oh. I think we've been spotted!
 

It wasn't eating very well the last couple of days before it died. But it looks like it has a good sized crop here...

They zoomed in even more. They can get you right in there.

This is my last real-time s'cap from this nest. SE13 died five hours later.

I love seeing Mom's protective instincts. Watch this short video from 9/10 (their date).

This is the last collage for SE13. What a cutie-pie! Fly free little baby. Talons crossed for this nest for next year...

 

That's the last of what I have for SE13. I'll include the necropsy and toxicology results in a post once they are available.

 

I plan to start blogging more regularly again... Believe it or not, the Bald Eagle nesting season is getting ready to ramp up!