Africam Black Eagle Day 98, Big Sur Condor Day 111 Feeding, Dyfi Osprey, Harrison Bay Eagles Flying to the Big Pine, NEFL Bald Eagles, White-bellied Sea Eagles Day 29

The Africam Black Eagle was enjoying the evening...

...when a big thunderstorm moved through. This is the first time I've seen it rain at this nest.

These two Big Sur Condors were hanging out on a perch. I believe this is Black 67 McWay on the left and Black 74 Nomad on the right.

Suddenly, McWay took off, nearly knocking Nomad off his perch. And he didn't even say Excuse Me! (0:49)

I also caught a Feeding Bout today (4:19):

The chick has to stand in the doorway to wingercize, so one wing is ouside the nest. The inside of the nest cavity is 4-5 feet, so this chick has already got a huge wing span!

 

 

Dad Dyfi is still hanging out around the nest. Here's a big wing stretch.

And here's one of these stretches that we see so many chicks do.

Such a pretty bird!

The Harrison Bay Eagle parents are spending the night in the big pine. They coordinated their arrival at the tree... Look first at the white blur in the bottom right hand corner.

Then follow it up to the branches where they like to perch.

Then a few seconds later, the other parent comes in from the bottom left.

Here's the video that these stills were taken from. It's neat at the beginning of the video to see a host of Sparrows take off when they see the Eagles Flying to the Big Pine. (0:54)

The parents are tucked in for the night.

I caught one of the parents at home at the NE Florida Eagle nest today. They laid their first egg last year on November 16th. That means nestorations are happening now. (I wish they would straighten up this camera!)

The White-bellied Sea Eagle chicks still like to huddle under Mom for warmth, even though they don't really fit any more.

The feathers are coming in nicely on the chicks.

I would have expected the smaller chick to feather out first. The reasoning is that the chick the has the smaller size when full grown would feather out first because it doesn't have to expend as much energy for growth. But SE16 is just leaving SE15 in the dust in every regard.

Both chicks got bites. It's been a while since I've seen sibling rivalry at this nest.

 Look at how big their crops are! Neither one of these chicks is going hungry!

Their crops are so big, they both look like they've got sacks tied to their necks!

Berry College Bald Eagle Nest, Bald Eagle NX Checked In, Northeast Florida Babies Are Awake This Evening

It's blustery and cold here -- windy and snowing. It looks like it's not as bad at the Berry College Bald Eagle nest. The nest is rocking in the wind, but not too much.

Bald Eagle NX has checked in. She has been putting on the miles, doing some exploring.

The Northeast Florida Bald Eagle babies are wide awake. In the bottom right corner, you can see the 'white wash' on one of the tree's branches from the babies trying to shoot poop out of the nest.

Both Parents On The Nest At Berry College Bald Eagle Nest, Northeast Florida Bald Eagle Nest Looks Good, Southwest Florida Nest Has Big Size Disparity Between Hatchlings

It's been a while since I've seen both Mom and Dad in the nest at the same time at Berry College. Dad landed in the nest carrying a big stick.

Mom got up to take a break, giving a good view of the eggs, while Dad rearranged the stick. I was out this evening, so I don't know if she laid another egg today...

The babies at the Northeast Florida Bald Eagle nest look like they are doing pretty good. They are of similar size. They make the perfect Yin and Yang here:

Not so at the Southwest Florida Bald Eagle nest. The little one is fighting to get some food and has had some good meals. Which leaves some room for hope. But it looks like the size difference is increasing. The older chick is at least twice as big as the youngest. I'm not sure if the youngest will survive. At this point, it will depend upon how it is treated by its much larger sibling. It will have a chance if it can catch up on size a bit. They posted an update regarding this nest. And turned off the chat...

I went to Chincoteague today, looking for Snowy Owls. It was a bust!

Two Eggs at Berry College Bald Eagle Nest, New S'Caps of the Southwest and Northeast Florida Nests

Two eggs at the Berry College nest! I'm so excited. I first looked in on the nest and momma had her head tucked in while incubating:

I wanted to see if she had laid a second egg. It was going to be today if she was going to do it. She finally got up and ta-da! Two eggs! I'm so egg-cited!

She did an egg roll. I explained the egg roll yesterday. You can see the eggs are sitting differently now.

Here's a s'cap of the Southwest Florida nest. They are reporting that the little one got a good meal today. You can see one of the babies passed out around the 10:00 position. The temps are pretty moderate in Florida tonight.

And here's a s'cap of the Northeast Florida nest. Just babies passed out. No worries. After a couple of weeks, the babies are able to thermoregulate and if temps are moderate, the Eagle parents will often spend the night on a branch keeping watch.

S'caps From The Northeast Florida and Southwest Florida Eagle Nests, Pam Monahan and Bald Eagle HK, New Location For Bald Eagle Camellia, Pictures of Bald Eagle KS

I kept forgetting to look in on the Florida nests in the daytime. I finally thought about it today and got the following screen captures (s'caps).

Northeast Florida nest (hatched 12/20 and 12/23)

 Southwest Florida (hatched 12/23 and 12/25)

Eating



Already venturing out of the nest bowl

Pam Monahan has a fantastic post for her observations on 1/9 of Bald Eagle HK. She has a great picture of his nest viewed from a distance so you can see how big it is in the tree. It's really getting big! Then, she refers to her post for her observations on 1/10 as a photographer's dream. She got some beautiful pictures of HK in flight and at his nest. I'm guessing Pam was at the nest again today since the weather was so beautiful here... Maybe we'll see a new post tomorrow!

There is a new location map for Bald Eagle Camellia. Jim Yanello commented that he got a picture, so hopefully, we will see that soon.

Reese has a new blog post about an extraordinary find! One of our best eagle spotters, Beverly Nettleton, found Bald Eagle KS at Honey Bee Golf Course. Check Reese's blog post for the details and pictures. You can click on the first picture and see the letters KS as plain as day. And yes, that is Bald Eagle HK in one of the pictures. So amazing! Two Bald Eagles without transmitters from two different nests hanging out together and Beverly got the picture!

Bald Eagle Camellia's Locations, Pam Monahan's Visits With Bald Eagle HK, Florida Eagle Cams, Berry College Eagle Cam, Ice Tsunami, Earthquake Lights, Wildlife Copter, Shark Rescue, Happy People

Looks like Bald Eagle Camellia's solar battery has gotten a good charge!Reese posted a location map for Camellia yesterday. Then, in a blink, he posted another map today.

Pam Monahan has three new posts for Bald Eagle HK. He looks so much like his dad (Bald Eagle Dad Norfolk)! In her January 5th post, he's in his nest, which is really getting big! (I'm wondering if he's going to try to use the nest that he built or if he's going to try to take over the Osprey nest. In either case, I think he views the Osprey nest as belonging to him. I'm predicting fireworks when the Osprey return.) Pam also got pictures of HK in other places around the golf course. Then in her January 6th post, she got some great pictures of HK in his nest. And then she braved the cold today to go find him again. She got a bunch of pictures of HK flying away today... Thanks Pam! Stay warm HK!

I checked in on the Florida Eagle Cams just now. As I expected, Moms and babies are tucked in for the night:

Southwest Florida Cam (the IR light at this nest is kinda harsh to our eyes - but the Eagles can't see the light at all):

Northeast Florida Cam (yes, that's a baby at 4:00, partially tucked up under Mom. Domestic bliss...):

Same scene at the Berry College nest, just no eggs or babies yet. I love that these eagles spend so much time at the nest. I can usually find someone home!

Here's a couple of natural phenomenon that I've never heard of. The first is 'ice tsunami' -- check out this video. This video hasn't been sped up. Mother nature was not joking around! And then there's 'earthquake lights' which are flashes of light that happen near rifts. They occur during or even days before an earthquake.

Time to get on my soap box. This guy built a remote controlled flying copter that he then used to photograph and capture video of animals in the wild. In this video, it looks like the wildlife has changed its behavior as a result of this copter. It starts with a giraffe walking. Then it's standing still. In another instance, there is an ostrich walking along a path. Then the camera angle changes and the ostrich is standing still a few steps off of the path. To me, these animals have changed their behavior while being filmed. There are lots of scenes of various herds running. Are they running because of the copter? There is a hyena that is dragging its meal away from the camera -- at one point stopping and turning its face to the camera while sniffing at it. The footage is beautiful and there's some lofty music playing along. But I feel that obtaining this footage was at the expense of the animals in it. Please, if you want to view wildlife, don't disturb it. If an animal even looks at you, then you have ventured too close.

So, you've got a shark that's choking on a moose. Sounds like the start of a bad joke. But, it really happened. The shark was rescued by some good Samaritans. It was too late for the moose...

Here are 8 unexpected habits of happy people. It turns out that being outdoors can be good for you and help you be happy. Duh!

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!

SW and NE Florida Bald Eagle Nests Have Two Eggs Each, Pam Monahan's Blog and Pictures, Recycling or Disposing of Used Deep Fryer Oil, Keeping Wildlife Wild

The SW Florida Eagle Nest has a second egg. Now we wait to see if the NE or SW Florida Nests with have a third egg... I checked in on the two nests this evening and find similar poses. SW pic is first.

 

 

And someone is home at the Berry College Eagle Nest. (And most of the plucked feathers are gone from the nest tonight.)

Pam Monahan has a blog entry about the pictures she took on 11/18 of Bald Eagle HK. This is so cool, being able to get the explanation about what's happening in the pictures... She has also posted two new pictures on HK taken today on her photography site.
 
If you like to deep fry your Thanksgiving turkey, don't pour the used oil down the drain! If you live in Hampton or Newport News, you can turn it in for recycling. Check this link for details and for other tips to keep the sewer system free of clogs. If you live elsewhere, check with your city about a recycling program. If a recycling program is not available, then go to the above link to find proper ways to dispose of used oil.

This is a sad story about an elk that had to be put down because it was too acclimated to humans. The elk no longer showed a proper fear of humans and was willing to engage people. Unfortunately, that poses a danger to people and the elk had to be put down. Please do your part to keep wildlife wild!

Links to Florida Eagle Cams, Bald Eagle Camellia Location, More New Pictures of Bald Eagle HK Taken By Pam Monahan -- And Her New Blog

The US Fish and Wildlife Service has issued the City of Norfolk a new permit to continue harassment and nest removal at NBG. These people are such idiots. I'm starting to think that they actually think they are accomplishing something. Either that or they are crazy (the definition of doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.)

I forgot to include links to the Florida Eagle Cams that I mentioned in my post last night. Here they are:

NE Florida with Mom sitting on the nest. Two eggs so far at this nest:

SW Florida with Mom showing off her egg. One egg so far at this nest:

These nests look like lights are shining on them. But that's not the case. There is an infrared light, which Bald Eagles can't see. But the camera can, which is why we can see the nest when viewed through the camera. We can't see infrared light either. If we viewed this nest in person, it would appear dark.

Location update for Bald Eagle Camellia. Can you call it an update if he hasn't gone anywhere?

Pam Monahan is so dedicated to Bald Eagle HK. She is doing a fantastic job of documenting his life at Honey Bee. She has posted six new pictures taken today. And... Exciting news! Pam has started a blog about HK. I have been wanting to know the story behind some of the pictures and am so excited to see this blog. Thanks Pam!

Eggs! NE Florida and SW Florida Bald Eagle Nests, Pam Monahan's New Pictures of Bald Eagle HK, Locations for Bald Eagles Camellia, KE, and NX, CCB's Osprey Tracking, Ferruginous Hawk Nests on Feathered Photography Blog

We have nests active! The NE Florida nest has two eggs already, laid exactly three days apart. I looked in just now and found Mom on the nest:

The SW Florida nest has an egg. I looked in just now in time to see an egg roll:

Pam Monahan has posted 37 new pictures of Bald Eagle HK taken on 11/14 and 11/16. You can see he still has a little bit of a dirty eye stripe. I wonder if he's old enough to reproduce this nesting season...

Bald Eagle Camellia is dumpster diving at his 11/15 check-in.
Bald Eagle KE isn't being very adventurous, with a check-in on 11/16.
Bald Eagle NX has been spending her time on the Upper Machadoc Creek. She's had some missing data points. I hope her transmitter isn't running down...

The Center for Conservation Biology (CCB) has tracked three Osprey this past year. It's amazing to see how far they migrate. Here's a link to the page where their migrations was tracked. Thanks to Ann for pointed out this page on the Norfolk Eagles Forum.

Ron Dudley has a post on his Feathered Photography blog about the different nests of the Ferruginous Hawk. Very neat to see the different examples. The bottom two nests look like pieces of art to me...