Eagle Deaths Due To Wind Turbines, Bald Eagles in Vermont, Fledgling Electrocutions, Bald Eagle Photography Workshop

There was a study released yesterday about the number of Eagle deaths due to wind turbines. I like the idea of wind turbines. I like the idea of reducing our dependence on foreign oil. But I think they really need to take steps to identify good locations for wind turbines and take other steps to mitigate this problem.

The number of Bald Eagles raised in Vermont is on the rise.

Three fledglings from the same nest were electrocuted and died. The electric company has since taken steps to prevent future electrocutions. I just wish they had done it sooner... Here's the story.

Christopher Dodds has two Bald Eagle photography workshops out of Homer, Alaska in March. It looks like a great adventure! Even if you aren't interested in the workshop, it's worth a look at this link just for the pictures.

Dogfight Between an Osprey and a Bald Eagle, Bald Eagles in Ohio, More Screen Captures From The Deep-sea Exploration on the Okeanos Explorer

Here's an interesting story about a dogfight between an Osprey and a Bald Eagle. 

Bald Eagles are making a comeback in Ohio.

OK, time for more pictures from the deep-sea exploration. These are the last of the s'caps from Sunday... But... I've got a bunch more from yesterday and today. So, I'll just keep on with my normal post and then I'll put s'caps at the end... If you see the two red laser dots in any of my s'caps, they are used for measuring, with the dots being 4 inches apart. The last day of the exploration is Friday, so if you haven't been able to watch it so far, time is running out!

Anemones and coral on a rock.

This red crab is eating a Ctenophore (Comb Jelly)

The scientists were really excited when they saw this purplish coral. My favorite color is purple, so I liked it too. There's a shrimp on the right and I'm not sure what the translucent thing with dark blobs was. It was moving...

This Cup Sponge is hosting a Squat Lobster and a Brittle Star. There's a Red Crab in this shot too.

How cool is this?!?!?! A Sea Spider! I didn't know that there were spiders that live underwater. I wonder how closely they are related to land dwelling spiders, or if they only have that name due to the resemblance...

Ha! Photo bomb!

Doesn't this look unreal? Like, it's just too perfect...

Here's a Shrimp hanging out on some Coral.

It's impossible to find a rock that isn't hosting some sort of life...

I'm not seeing as many fish as I had expected...

At the end of the day, they bring all of the equipment back onboard the Okeanos Explorer. In the center of the bottom left quadrant is a piece of the equipment that they are hoisting out of the water.

This big block is another piece that goes into the water. I believe this piece contains the lights and cameras.

This is the last of my s'caps from Sunday. Tomorrow, I'll start with Tuesday's s'caps...

Training Update for Bald Eagle Buddy, Local Wildlife, Rat Trap Mishap, Finally: A Cicada In My Yard, Hallie Art

Yesterday, I asked if anyone was reading my blog and I got 4 responses. I really appreciate everyone that follows my blog. I had considered just going back to posting on the forum. But I like the blog because I don't have to be as "pc" as I do on the forum. Plus, if people click on my ads, I get money that I then donate to various charities that support wildlife conservation. (I have to put in a disclaimer here: I'm not encouraging anyone to click on my ads in order to increase my revenue from them. The program can tell if I'm getting bogus clicks and I can be banned from the program! So, please don't do that! However, if you really do see something that interests you, I'd appreciate it if you navigate to it by clicking on my ad!) Bottom line: I'm happy that people find my posts interesting. Please keep coming back! I'd burst if I didn't have a way to share all the neat stuff I find!

There is a training update for Bald Eagle Buddy. He is still in vacation mode while some of his flight feathers finish growing in. But he is still being trained -- for now, they are working on his manners!

I have some observations from my yard:

 I live on wetlands. Half of my property is wetlands. And it's the same for the two neighbors to my left and the two neighbors to my right. If you continue one way, it's water. If you continue the other way, there's maybe an acre of woods. You wouldn't think we'd have a lot of wildlife. But we've got a family of deer. I see ducks and egrets out back occasionally. There's a tree down by the water where Bald Eagles and Osprey like to perch. In the fall I've got raccoons and possum in my yard all the time because of my persimmon tree. The two big nuisance animals are muskrats and rats. And the other night, surprise! A fox!

Speaking of rats... (I'm going to start by saying that I really thought I was being careful. I was mindful of the potential problem and thought I was careful enough...) I'd spotted a rat on my back deck a couple of times. I try to peacefully coexist with wildlife here. But I can't have rats on my back deck. (I have three dogs and rats carry diseases...) So, I bought one of those spring loaded rat traps and baited it with a lump of cheese. I'm not talking about some little mouse trap. I got a big ol honkin' rat trap. And I caught a rat. Then I baited it again and tonight when I checked it. Darn it. I got a bird. (I'm really upset that I killed a bird. It died instantly -- at least it didn't suffer.) I really thought I had placed it where birds wouldn't be interested in going and it's one of the places I'd seen the rat. How do you place a rat trap so it will be accessible to a rat but not a bird? Seriously. Any suggestions?

Tonight I spotted a Cicada in my yard. Finally! On May 28th, I blogged about the Cicadas in Fredericksburg, VA. There were so many! And finally tonight is the first one I've seen here. Another notable thing, this is the first time I've seen one before shedding its skin. It had a slight crack along its back. I just went out and checked on it and took the following picture (isn't it pretty!) If I'd known it was going to shed its skin that fast, I would have stayed out there and watched it: 

The other day, I blogged about Hallie Art. Well, I have to admit that I bought one of the paintings... I feel like it's really an over-the-top indulgence. But I love three things about it: It's original artwork. It's done by a (blind) dog. And it benefits a good cause. This is the one I bought. It's called, "song birds." It arrived in the mail today and it's so pretty! I'm happy I bought it -- I've been interested in buying some original art... And I think this counts!

Funny Momo Post Today, Swainson's Hawk on Feathered Photography, Bald Eagle Eating a Duck, Bald Eagle Covered in Vegetable Oil, Civet Coffee, Living Furniture

Today's 'find Momo' made me laugh!

Ron Dudley posted some pictures of a Swainson's Hawk on his Feathered Photography blog. This is such a pretty hawk! I really enjoy his blog!

I found this video of a Bald Eagle that has caught a duck for dinner. All I can say is, "Duck feet! Yum, yum!"

Here's a bizarre story about a Bald Eagle that was found covered in... vegetable oil. At least, that's what they think it is. They are investigating.

Have you ever heard of civet coffee? It's good to the last dropping! 

And have you ever heard of living furniture?

Azalea's location, eagles and bears in the news

Azalea checked in around 11:00PM March 5th. She's still hanging around on the south-side.

Azalea's location 3/5 11:00PM

I found another photographer to follow. Ted Ellis has pictures of Bald Eagles, Hummingbirds and Cardinals on his photography site. He also has some backyard birds (don't we all!), large birds and silhouettes. I usually don't care for music on photography web pages -- I'd rather save the bandwidth. However, I can only complain so much about this site since I found myself singing along...

This article is from the Washington Post dated 2/26/13. It's about the Bald Eagle population in the Chesapeake Bay Tidal Region and Dr Watts (from the Center for Conservation Biology) is quoted. I find it interesting that Bald Eagles are starting to use man-made objects to nest upon, since most of the prime real estate is gone.

The Street Smart Naturalist blog has a great article about the different avian wildlife that is drawn to his yard because of the huge Douglas Firs in the yard. I am always dismayed when I see tracts of land cleared for a housing development, with landscapers coming in after the homes are built and planting puny little trees. I wish that the people that build housing developments would make the effort to leave some of the mature trees. It's not like they can be replaced. I know it adds a layer of complexity to the build, but you can't replace mature trees!

Who doesn't love baby bears!?!? Bearizona Wildlife Park has five black bear cubs. So cute! And a polar bear cub was born at the Buffalo Zoo. Even cuter!

I've got family coming into town tomorrow, so I'm not sure when my next post will be...

A case is made for the Norfolk Eagles, Camellia's location

A case has been made for other solutions regarding the Bald Eagles at NBG. The City of Norfolk was hasty in their decision to remove the nests and try to harrass the eagles into leaving. I have always said that if ORF was practicing wildlife mitigation at the airport, that Mom Norfolk would still be alive today. Instead, they choose to only put up the appearance that they are doing something proactive. Please see this post from today. Someone has done some excellent research! I have written letters to the city, the airport, and other interested parties, covering some of these same facts. But this article goes beyond what I found and deserves to be read by everyone who cares about the fate of the Norfolk Eagles. Bravo to the researchers and writers of this article!

And Camellia checked in around 2:00AM last night. He's not too far from home!


Camellia's location March 5th at 2:00AM



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.

Azalea's Transmitter Placement May 20, 2009

I posted pictures and links to two videos from the day that Azalea was fitted with her transmitter. I am copying my forum post to my blog so it's not lost.



Azalea was hooded to keep her calm during the transmitter fitting. She is being passed from Libby Mojica to Dr Bryan Watts. Libby is responsible for fitting the transmitters on Bald Eagles.



She was surprisingly calm without the hood



Azalea's transmitter. She is being held by Dr Bryan Watts.



Another view of Azalea's transmitter.



Transmitter and look at those wings!!



The transmitter strap is fitted like a backpack.



Eaglet gives an exclusive interview



Azalea's profile

 It was during the transmitter fitting that I realized that my little point-and-shoot could take video. So I tried it out and posted the following videos. The first part, I actually was holding my camera sideways (rookie mistake) and posted sideways video. Since then, I've gotten software that can rotate video, so it's not sideways any more... Here are the links:

Azalea Video part 1 (0:19)

Azalea Video part 2 (0:39)

Banding of HH (Azalea), HK, and HE April 22, 2009

This was my first post on the Norfolk Eagles Forum, and I'm copying it here because I want to preserve it. This was my first time seeing a Bald Eagle up close and I couldn't get over how big these "babies" were. I even referred to one as a monster -- a reference to size. These pictures were all taken with my little point-and-shoot. Here's the post:



The table was far away and my zoom was not up to snuff





And the crowd goes wild




One of the monsters (this is actually Azalea - and she was by far the biggest of the three)





The baby (this is HE -- the little sister)



Big size difference (Azalea on the left, HE on the right)

This band is HH (later named Azalea when she was fitted with a transmitter)



The solar powered transmitter will be fitted on one of the eaglets in May and will track its movements for a few years



The youngest, HE. You can just see her band.



The money shot: L-R Dr Bryan Watts with Sunday (HH -- Azalea), Reese Lukei with Saturday (HK), and Stephen Living with Wednesday (HE) -- up until this point, the eaglets were referred to by their hatch days.



Mom and Dad Norfolk as I was leaving

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

Bald Eagle sighting at 'Osprey Watch nest 307'

I am trying to get as much important information off of the Norfolk Eagles Forum before it goes away. So that will be the majority of my early posts. But I wanted to mention something that falls under ‘original content’ because it’s topical. The Center for Conservation Biology has a program called Osprey Watch. It’s a citizen scientist type program where people record their observations of local Osprey nests. There is a nest close to my house, nest 307. Someone else (Golf Tango) reported it before I did, so it’s not one of ‘my’ nests. But I can still record observations and post pictures for that nest. This evening shortly before 6:00PM I saw an adult Bald Eagle standing on the nest. When I drove by on my way back home 45 minutes later, it was gone. I wonder if this Bald Eagle is looking to take over this Osprey nest...

If you have an Osprey nest that you can observe, I encourage you to go to Osprey Watch and become a citizen scientist!

These are pictures that I took last year at nest 307. It is located on an old wooden pier that runs parallel to the bridge onto Langley Air Force Base at the N. King Street gate.