Africam Black Eagle Day 106 Fledge Watch Continues, Big Sur Condor Day 119 Branching!, White-bellied Sea Eagles Day 37, Wildlife Center of Virginia's Coverage of Yesterday's Bald Eagle Release

The Africam Black Eagle chick greeting the morning with a big stretch.

I haven't seen any food in the nest in a few days. The chick is going to be lean and hungry - fledge ready... Some people  think that parents push their babies out of the nest. They don't. But there are other ways to encourage them to jump. Lack of food in the nest is one. And frequent fly-bys like yesterday are another.

Once the chick fledges, they will continue to use the nest as a home base, bringing food to the nest. I haven't watched this nest post-fledge, so I don't know if the chick will continue to sleep in the nest or if it will choose to perch on the rocks overnight with its parents.

The chick got some big air here. I think fledge is coming soon. Maybe tomorrow...

The chick is taking a lot of interest in what's beyond the nest.

But we finished the day, again, without a fledge... I'm thinking the chick was waiting until the weekend when more people could watch...

I saw something new today at the Big Sur Condor nest. The chick started standing in the doorway.

She actually climbed up a little bit.

Suddenly, she was gone! Check out this video of her disappearing act, branching for the first time (that I've seen). Branching (1:05):

The chick picked a funny way to lay down, with her head all smooshed into the wall.

At the White-bellied Sea Eagle nest, SE15, while trailing behind in the feather department, is looking like he's catching up in the size department. Or maybe it's how they are sitting or proximity to the camera...

I see them both get bites during the feedings.

There's a moment of golden light with the rising sun hits the nest just right.

There is a difference in the size of their heads and shoulders in this close-up.

SE16 is showing a fat crop.

It looks like she swallowed a golf ball!

SE15 has a fat crop too!

I didn't see any sibling rivalry today.

Here's a link to the Wildlife Center of Virginia's coverage of yesteday's Bald Eagle release. Dr Dave wore a GoPro camera on his chest for a bird's eye view of the release. Here's the link.

Africam Black Eagle Day 103 Fledge Watch Continues, Harrison Bay Eagles, Whtie-bellied Sea Eagles Day 34 Crib Rails, Upcoming Bald Eagle Release

The Africam Black Eagle chick hasn't fledged yet. For some reason, the cam is staying up overnight. You can see how long the chicks' shadow is in the early morning.

Zoomer was on the ball today!

We got some great close-ups today.

I recorded about 12 hours of this nest. But I came home from work to find it had frozen. Of course!

Much of what I did get was the baby laying around.

Maybe it will fledge tomorrow...

The coloring of the juvenile Black Eagles is beautiful!

The Harrison Bay Eagles were in the nest tree this morning, having spent the night perched on the branches. This was my only sighting of them today.

The White-bellied Sea Eagle chicks are growing like weeds.

They both perk up when a parent lands in the nest.

Then they relax.

Here's a short video of the parents doing Stick Work (2:57), building up the crib rails for their babies as they start to venture out of the nest bowl.

There is an Eagle Release on Thursday. This is a large adult eagle.
If you are planning to go, RSVP to them as requested. They are also advertising 2016 Garden of Eagles Calendars and WCV T-Shirts. Here's the email:

Release: Dr. Dave McRuer, Wildlife Center Director of Veterinary Services, will release Bald Eagle #15-1667 at 11:30 a.m.  on Thursday, September 10, at York River State Park in James City County.  This mature Bald Eagle was found by a park ranger, on the ground and unable to fly, in Newport News in late July … and is now ready to be returned to the wild!

York River State Park is more than 2,500 acres of marsh, river shoreline and forest – a perfect and versatile environment for many species of wildlife, including Bald Eagles! The park is known for its rare and delicate estuarine environment, where freshwater and saltwater meet to create a rich habitat for marine and plant life [the park has been designated as a Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve]. More information on York River State Park can be found at this link: http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/york-river.shtml#general_information

We would be delighted for you to join us for this special release! The release is free and open to the public. If you will be attending, please RSVP lkegley@wildlifecenter.org with your name and number of people joining. And please meet Dr. Dave and the eagle at the Park Visitor Center [the address for the park is 9801 York River Park Road, Williamsburg, VA 23188].

Calendars: In other news, the Center is now accepting pre-orders for the 2016 Garden of Eagles calendar, the creation of a group of talented and dedicated Center supporters. This calendar showcases breathtaking photos of Bald Eagles; past issues have sold out! We’re accepting pre-orders for the calendars through September 28 at 5:00p.m. Eastern – get your order in today! http://wildlifecenter.org/news_events/news/2016-garden-eagles-calendar

T-shirts: And, in celebration of Bald Eagles, the Center has a new shirt perfect for anyone who is wild about eagles! This short-sleeved t-shirt features an eagle drawing by Dr. Adam Naylor, the Center’s former veterinary intern and current veterinary resident at the Edinburgh Zoo. To see this t-shirt and others, please visit our shop at this link: http://wildlifecenter.org/shop

Africam Black Eagle Day 89, Dyfi Osprey Day 85,87&88, White-bellied Sea Eagles Day 20, Challenging Dog Walks, Upcoming Bald Eagle Releases

 I was finally able to see the Africam Black Eagle nest today! But it was only for just a few minutes. I got 4 frozen frames. This is one of them... (I think I'm beginning to remember why I haven't followed this nest before...)

W3 was the star of the show at the Dyfi nest today. First she was on this low perch.

Then she flew to the nest perch.

Then she went to the high perch behind the nest. She couldn't avoid the rain no matter where she went... She's got the wind to her back here, giving her a funny hair-do!

I didn't get a close-up of the White-bellied Sea Eagle chicks today. They both appear to be doing well.

Here's a really cool article about keeping your dog mentally and physically stimulated by making a walk more fun and challenging than just walking... Make sure you watch the video too...

The Wildlife Center of Virginia announced two Bald Eagle releases this week -- one Wednesday and one Thursday. The first is an adult, that will be released tomorrow. Here's the announcement:

Wednesday, August 26: Wildlife Center President Ed Clark will release Bald Eagle #15-0642 at 11:30 a.m. at Widewater State Park. This mature female Bald Eagle was found on the ground unable to fly in Stafford County in May… and is now ready to be returned to the wild!

Widewater State Park is in the initial phases of development but is the perfect habitat for Bald Eagles [in fact, NX has checked in from there… twice!]. The release is free and open to the public. If you plan on joining us, please reply to this email – and, as we have two releases, please clarify which one you plan to attend. Also, please plan ahead, as this rugged area does not have any available restrooms.

You can find directions to Widewater State Park and a map link here: http://wildlifecenter.org/critter-corner/patient-updates/bald-eagle-15-0642-release-scheduled

The second is a juvenile that hatched this year. I plan to attend this release! Here's the announcement:

Thursday, August 27: Bald Eaglet #15-1250 will be released at 3:00 p.m. at Chippokes Plantation State Park! This juvenile male was found on the ground in Windsor, Virginia in June. Upon admission, he exhibited some signs of a neurologic injury but after weeks of treatment and rehabilitation, the vets have given him the all-clear to be released!

Chippokes Plantation State Park is on the south shore of the James River [across the river from Jamestown].   Attendees are asked to meet members of the Center’s “eagle team” at the Park’s Visitors Center.  The Park has graciously waived the admission fee for individuals attending this release. Additional information about the Park – a working farm since 1619 – is available at: 

http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/chippokes-plantation.shtml#general_information

If you plan on joining us, please reply to this email – and, as we have two releases, please clarify which one you plan to attend.

Beverly Nettleton's Pictures From A Bald Eagle Release, Nest Cam Round-up: White Rock and White-bellied Sea Eagle, and Bald Eagle Camellia's Location

There was an eagle release while I was out of town. My friend Beverly Nettleton was able to attend. These are her pictures, posted here with her permission. She got some really great pictures! Thanks Bev!

This is a great close-up of the feet. You can see the rough bumps on the pads of their feet that help them to grip fish.

The blood on the white feathers is from breakfast.

When I first saw this picture, my first thought was, "saliva!" But then I noticed that this picture also shows the barb on the side of the tongue. These barbs help them to swallow food.

I wasn't there, so I can't say for sure. But I believe that this picture was taken while the silver band was put on the eagle's leg. I don't see a fastener (rivet) yet and it looks like there's a tool in the picture to the right.

An eagle that is being returned to the wild is usually brought to the location in an animal crate. It is usually hot and tired -- flying to a nearby tree upon release and resting for a while.

I had a quick post Saturday because one of the White Rock eaglets had fledged. These are some s'caps I took of Jules after fledging Saturday from Christian Sasse's live broadcast. It can be very hard to find a Bald Eagle in a tree, unless you saw it land and know where to look. The fledgling is doing some hide-and-go-seek in these s'caps:

I love this one!

Christian went wider with the next two shots to show how hard it is to find the fledgling. (Look above the word "at" about midway up.)

Hard to spot, right? Adults can be easier to find with their white heads. But juveniles are super hard being all brown. This might have been an evolutionary survival mechanism, being able to blend into their surroundings better when they are first learning how to fly.

I was out of town and am not sure, but I don't think the other White Rock eaglet has fledged yet. I'm surprised that they didn't fledge close together since they have been so close since hatch. This is the view from the wide-angle cam tonight, with both siblings at home:

Here's one of Christian Sasse's pictures of the White Rock eaglets, posted here with his permission:

I checked out the White-bellied Sea Eagle nest upon my return today.

Soon after bring up the cam, Dad arrived with a fish:

Dad: exit stage right. You can see how hard he pushes off with his legs, getting full extension here:

Then Mom left.

Mom returns pretty quickly with a graceful landing:

She tucked in her wings and started making her way down the guard rail to the nest bowl. She had to throw her wings out a couple of times to keep her balance.

Then she did a quick egg roll before laying back down.

She must not have been hungry... Just hanging out in the nest with her fish... "You look that way and I'll look this way..."

Bald Eagle Camellia checked in.