Norfolk Eagles in their new nest

[Donna]

Bald Eagle pair at Norfolk Botanical Garden on January 8

Since the loss of his mate in April of this past year, the male bald eagle from the Norfolk Botanical Garden remained in the area and was regularly seen by visitors.  In late September he was seen with a new adult female.  This bird was identified as a five-year-old based on some light brown spotting on her white head and tail.  This pair was seen spending time together in the nest tree and began adding sticks and refurbishing the nest.

As the breeding season approached the pair were making regular visits to the nest in the mornings and evenings and had begun lining the nest with pine-straw and dried grasses. On the morning of January 6th a visitor to the Norfolk Botanical Garden found a dead adult bald eagle.  Staff at the Garden notified DGIF and the remains were collected by DGIF staff. There was no apparent cause of death and this bird was identified as a five-year-old female based on plumage and measurements.

Staff at the Garden observed the nest closely over the weekend and DGIF, NBG and CCB personnel kept a watch on the camera. A second adult perched near the nest on Friday and on Sunday evening a female eagle joined the male in the nest.  On Monday, the first breeding of the season was noted on camera.

This has raised the question as to whether or not the female eagle currently being seen is the same bird that has been seen throughout the fall.  The obvious pair bond between the two would seem to indicate familiarity with each other. However at this point in the breeding season pair bonds can form quickly as hormonal changes drive the urgent need to reproduce.  There is no definitive answer and at this point we can only speculate..

In either case this episode is indicative of the recovery of bald eagles, to the point where there are â€�excess breedersâ€� birds of reproductive age that have not secured their own territory.  Despite the challenges seen by the individual birds at the Norfolk Botanical Garden, the population of bald eagles is thriving in Virginia.  

The remains of the eagle collected on Jan. 6th have been forwarded to pathology experts at the USGS National Wildlife Health Center to learn as much as possible about the bird’s cause of death. The perliminary results should be known within a few weeks.

Norfolk Botanical Garden
UPDATE: Dr. Bryan Watts and Reese Lukei, Center for Conservation Biology at the College of William and Mary, have closely compared images of the adult female eagle found dead in the Garden Friday, January 6, 2012 with December and January images of the nesting female. The physical characteristics of both female eagles are very similar, thus preventing a definitive identification.

Also, at approximately 6:30pm on Saturday, January 14, 2012 a 2-year old juvenile bald eagle was found dead under power lines in a different location within the Garden. Experts have determined the age of the bird, but do not have any history or specific identification. They do know it is not an eagle from the Garden. The juvenile bird has been transferred to DGIF and will be delivered to the lab for further investigation.

[Donna]

http://wildone.org/eaglecam/wildlife-center-web-cam/ NX cam

[Donna]

Eagle Mortality Norfolk
Botanical Garden

On a global scale, our electrical infrastructure kills millions of
birds annually.  There are three common
ways that birds are killed when interacting with transmission or distribution
lines.  The most common of these is
referred to as pole electrocution.  Birds
perching on power poles are electrocuted when they come in contact with two
conductors and complete a circuit.  To
overcome this problem, power companies have retrofitted power poles in areas
known to have problems to prevent birds from making these contacts.  The second most common cause is referred to
as a mid-line electrocution which occurs when a large bird flies through the
lines and is able to complete a circuit by touching two wires with its
wingtips.  The third form of mortality is
when a bird flies into lines does not complete a circuit but is killed by the
trauma.  Bald eagles are particularly
vulnerable to mortalities related to the electrical infrastructure because they
are large enough to bridge the gap between conductors.

In a recent investigation of 62 eagle mortalities caused by power lines
within the upper Chesapeake Bay, Bryan Watts and Libby Mojica from The Center
for Conservation Biology determined that both line location and context had a
significant influence on the likelihood that they would kill eagles.  Lines that are near water or foraging areas
are crossed regularly and have a greater likelihood of being problem lines.  Lines that are exposed in open areas are much
more likely to kill eagles compared to those that are associated with screening
vegetation.  This is because tall trees
planted near electrical lines serve to shift the flight line of eagles above
the power lines.

In just the past 2 weeks, two eagles have been found dead within the
grounds of Norfolk Botanical Garden that were associated with power lines.  The first was an adult-plumaged female and the
second was a juvenile-plumaged bird.  The
juvenile clearly died by trauma-related mid-line strike, and the adult is suspected
as having also died by trauma-related mid-line strike.  The extent to which these mortalities were
facilitated by interactions with other eagles is not clear.  We have very little information on causes and
rates of eagle mortality but such events are likely much more common than we
currently know.

[Dumpsterkitty]

...and the saga continues...from Reese Lukei on the CCB blog

Replacement Female Jan 20, 2012

We do not yet have all our questions answered about the death of the adult female bald eagle at Norfolk Botanical Garden on Jan 6, 2012. However, as of yesterday Jan 20, 2012, we do have the answer to one question. Is the current female that the male is with the same female that he had been with since Sept 2011? The answer – NO! The current female is yet another fifth year bald eagle in her first breeding season. Look at her tail feathers that have brown/black in them unlike the prior female. She is also molting head feathers with a distinct bare spot in the top of her head, and her bill is still turning yellow with grey. She also has many more older, more worn, lighter brown body contour feathers. Eagle cam photos Jan 21, 2012.

 

[Dumpsterkitty]

...and NX is back on the cam at WCV!

http://wildone.org/eaglecam/wildlife-center-web-cam/

[Dumpsterkitty]

...and NX is back on the cam at WCV!

http://wildone.org/eaglecam/wildlife-center-web-cam/

...and I post that just in time for them to switch the cam back to the Red Shouldered Hawk.  Oh well!  NX will be back I'm sure!

[Donna]

Here's a photo I think you all will be happy to see (in a non-creepy way)! At 7:13am this morning the two NBG adults mated on the lower front branch of the nest tree. Dispite it being before sunrise, foggy and the camera having a lag of 10 to 20 seconds, Reese did manage to get two photos on the very edge of the frame.

[valhalla]

I post this only for informative puposes:

http://eaglecam.tumblr.com/post/16418528570/january-24-2012

"Following the eagle airplane strikes last April at Norfolk International Airport, bald eagles were recognized as a serious strike hazard as part of an ongoing Wildlife Hazard Assessment being performed by USDA Wildlife Services at the request of the Airport.   Due to the proximity of the eagle nest at the Norfolk Botanical Garden and the history of airplane strikes involving breeding eagles from this territory the nest was identified as a threat to both human safety and the safety of the bald eagles.  A variety of management options are currently being considered by federal wildlife and airport safety experts.  As a wildlife regulatory and permitting entity, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries must remove itself from the Eagle Cam partnership to avoid any conflict of interest. We have been proud to help bring this educational opportunity to the public for so many years and look forward to working with our partners on future endeavors."

[Donna]

http://www.wvec.com/eaglecam Eagle cam is up and running!!

[Donna]

http://eagletrak.blogs.wm.edu/2012/01/30/camellia-at-brown-cove-great-neck/ 14 yr old girl finds Camillia in her back yard.

[Kris G.]

http://eagletrak.blogs.wm.edu/2012/01/30/camellia-at-brown-cove-great-neck/ 14 yr old girl finds Camillia in her back yard.

Cool find for her!

[Donna]

Officials determining fate of Norfolk Botanical Garden eagles

http://www.wvec.com/my-city/norfolk/Wildlife-officials-determining-fate-of-Norfolk-Botanical-Garden-eagles--138513869.html

UPDATE

The Garden of Eagles
From a second report on WVEC: "VDGIF says they agree with the findings of a wildlife hazard assessment and working on a solution that does include taking the nest down."

[Donna]

From this am

Norfolk Botanical Garden is extremely fortunate and proud to be the nesting grounds for wild eagles. The eagles have advanced our mission and taught millions the importance of environmental education while developing a loyal and caring worldwide audience of eagle watchers. This would not have been possible without the strong partnership with WVEC, VDGIF, and with special assistance from the CCB and our caring viewers.

Without a doubt, everyone loves the NBG eagles and cares deeply about their safety and well-being. As you are aware, there are current discussions among several agencies regarding the nest at NBG. Concern has been expressed by these agencies about the proximity of the nesting eagles to the Norfolk International Airport and the danger that it could present to the flying public.

Norfolk Botanical Garden is neither legally nor professionally in a position to take any action that would affect the bald eagles that are nesting at the Garden. We are an educational and horticultural institution that displays beautiful landscapes, maintains plant collections and provides environmental information.

If and when there is any action to be taken in regard to eagles at the Garden or in the region, it will be added to the Airport’s existing Wildlife Hazard Management Plan. This plan has been in place for a number of years, as it is at all airports, and addresses animals that present a hazard to airline safety. These plans are created by wildlife experts and enforced by the appropriate government agencies.

We recognize that the viewing public is strongly invested in these eagles and understand and share in your frustration with the unknown. But it is just that, unknown.

As the eagle component of the Wildlife Hazard Management Plan is developed, NBG will provide further information as soon it becomes available.

As I am sure you will agree, public safety and the safety of the eagles is paramount. It is the responsibility of the professionals and experts involved, or others they may deem appropriate, to develop a plan that effectively addresses and provides sound solutions to this situation.

[Donna]

One of them there now! Not sure on the nest situation. Time will tell if they have to remove it.

[Dumpsterkitty]

Meanwhile, it sounds like the nest is turning out to be Peyton Place...from last night's chat at 6:15...I'm still scrolling to see if there's more detail...

Congowings:
Well, things sure can be confusing - and this year seems to be the year of confusion and changes. I just spoke to Mr. Lukei - and our viewers have excellent eagle eyes - Mr. Lukei says this is not the female the male has been with for the past few weeks (the one with the dark tip on the tail and dark feathers on the head). He is going to look carefully at the screen captures he just took and the previous captures he took to compare. However, he thinks there is a possibility that this is the female he was seen earlier with in the season. He also thinks the other female may have tried to approach the nest (this is just a guess - as no one saw it) which is why we saw the vocalizations. As soon as he has more information he will let us know. The male was the one in the submissive posture - which is normal. The females are the more dominant.