Berry College Ealges Day 77&79 Fledge Watch Continues, Harrison Bay Eagles Day 33&35, White Rock Eagles Day 11&12, Dyfi Osprey, Poop Packet, Inbreeding in Osprey and Bald Eagles

I had fun keeping an eye on the Berry College nest today. Mom brought this big fish to the nest today. She did a touch and go off of the front branch on her way into the nest. She must have had a good grip on it -- dragging it over the branch didn't even faze her. This fish is at least 2 feet long! They pigged out and then the eaglets fell into a food coma while Mom stayed in the nest watching over them.

Here's a video of the delivery. (I figured out how to put videos  that I've uploaded to YouTube into my blog!) You can watch the Big Fish For Lunch video (1:29) by clicking the link or by hitting the play button below.

At one point during the feast, Dad showed up. It was nice seeing the family together, but talk about a crowded nest!

I have one more Berry College video from today. Later in the day, Mom was still in the nest with the eaglets when Dad brings a fish tail to the nest. One of the eaglets grabs the fish. Both eaglets then watched as Dad flies away. (They are really studying the parents when they fly away, taking notes I'm sure! Maybe we will see a fledge soon... Last year's eaglet fledged on day 89, so maybe not so soon...) Then the eaglet with the fish lets Mom know that her help is not needed... Here's the Fish Grab video (1:41).

The Harrison Bay eaglets have a lot of feathers coming in now.

They are like two peas in a pod.

I got a video from this nest today too (which I think is hilarious!) Both chicks pooped and the microphone is so sensitive that you can hear the raspberries! Turn up your speakers for the full effect! Here's the Audible Poop Shoots video (1:13):

Here's a look at the White Rock Eagle family from today.

In this s'cap, Mom is calling as another Bald Eagle does a fly-by. You can see the other bird flying away over the water.

This is Dad, so who was that flying past the nest?

I got a good look at the three Dyfi Osprey eggs. Mom didn't cooperate by letting me include her face in the s'cap. These are the best two I could get... The three eggs are clearly visible. Will there be a fourth? Only Mom knows...

Gotta mention poop again in this post. Something caught my eye this afternoon when I looked out my kitchen window. Something was on my deck railing. I have mentioned poop packets in previous blog posts. What I found on my deck railing was a poop packet. That tells me that I have babies in a nearby nest. I've never seen a poop packet in person, so this was neat! It was just as nice and self-contained as could be. I was surprised it was so large. I had a mint in my pocket and included that in the picture for reference. Here's a s'cap from the Berry College Bluebirds last year. One of the parents is removing a poop packet from the nest. This keeps the nest nice and clean.

And here's the picture I took today on my back deck. It's neat that I've seen a poop-packet. But I'm ok if they don't leave me any more!

 

Here is a link to a fantastic article at the Dyfi Osprey nest about inbreeding among Ospreys. I was glad I came across this article in light of Bald Eagle Dad Norfolk and his Daughter HE being a pair now. I've asked Reese Lukei for his thoughts about Bald Eagle inbreeding. I'll let you know what he says...

Berry College Fledgling Day 110, Nest Cam Round-up: Hays (More Rain!), Two Harbors, White Rock, Interesting Theory at Loch of the Lowes

Today was day 110 for the Berry College Bald Eagle. I got some neat pictures of the adult and the fledgling jumping up onto the branch. This is monkey see, monkey do. Step 1: Spot the branch. Step 2: Crouch. Step 3: Leap.

Some other s'caps from the day:

If you were wondering, B3 did stick the landing following the above sequence:

This is what happened first. B3 was eating something stringy. The adult came over and took it:

The adult also had a hard time tearing pieces off of it.

The adult finally just ate it whole, and B3 was not happy!

B3 started crowding the adult, crying for more food.

She followed the adult around the nest, begging. That's what prompted the adult to leave.

These s'caps were taken right after the adult left. I'm not sure what she was looking at here. Her crop is huge! She looks like she's got a third wing sticking out of her chest... And she was looking at something.

 

 

It is pouring tonight at the Hays nest. It looks like two are standing and one is laying down. I'm sure the adults are nearby, but not in the nest. These three would mob a parent, trying to find protection, even though their feathers are able to keep them dry now.

The Two Harbors cam was down all day. I checked again this evening when I started this blog entry and it was up. But this is all I got...

I checked back about an hour later and got this...

I have really enjoyed the White Rock nest this evening. They had a nice family time while I was watching. I took a ton of s'caps and have picked out the best to present here. When I first looked in, Mom was dozing in the nest with the eaglets.

When she starts calling, you know something is happening...

...Dad's home!

I caught a poop shot!

There is an interesting theory on the Loch of the Lowes Osprey Nest blog entry for today. They speculate that inbreeding is avoided by males returning to their natal area to mate while females "disperse more widely." I wonder if that's a correct theory and if Bald Eagles do the same...