[Caption: Photo provided by the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office The Sheriff’s Office monitored the humpback whale over the weekend that has been seen in distress off the Treasure Coast.]

In a way, Jamison Smith feels a little like Captain Ahab.

Except instead of a white whale, Smith is trying to find one that is gray and happens to be wearing a rope with a large grappling hook attached to its end.

An adult humpback whale sighted Friday morning by a Jensen Beach charter boat skipper was observed breaching and swimming in apparent distress offshore of the St. Lucie Inlet.

Upon closer examination, Daymaker charters Capt. Patrick Price saw a 1-2 inch thick polypropylene rope wrapped around the head of the whale. Dangling from the rope was a very large anchor or snatch hook.

As the whale jumped and twisted in the air, the line wrapped more tightly around the whale’s body and the large hook eventually appeared to lodge itself on the animal’s right pectoral fin.

Due to unsteady sea conditions and a lack of qualified personnel trained in handling a whale in distress, an attempt to aid or attach a satellite tag into the injured whale was called off Friday afternoon.

Since then, federal officials have hoped boaters or low-flying aircraft might see the whale.

Two humpback whales were sighted Saturday off St. Lucie County by the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office helicopter, however, both animals appeared to be in good health and were not entangled, said Smith, large whale disentanglement coordinator for the National Oceanographic Atmospheric Administration.

He said the whale of concern could be anywhere at sea.

“Now it’s like looking for a needle in a field full of haystacks,� he said. Smith said a team of specialists trained in disentangling level four whales such as humpbacks was on standby Saturday in Fort Pierce, but is now back in St. Augustine awaiting a call they hope comes soon.

Smith said the whale may be traveling back to the north. Some humpbacks spend the winter off the coast of Puerto Rico or the Dominican Republic where they will calf, or bear young. Then the whales travel to the waters off New England and Canada where they feed on coldwater fish species such as herring.

Smith said that the whale could have traveled 20 to 50 miles a day since it was seen Friday. Near Cape Canaveral, migrating whales generally head farther offshore. The entangled whale may next be seen off Cape Cod, he said.

Caption: Photo provided by the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office The Sheriff’s Office monitored the humpback whale over the weekend that has been seen in distress off the Treasure Coast.

I hope this can be fixed. Has anyone talked to Linda lately?

!!! London nest site has activity with a new male on territory!
March 16, 2010 - London - TD Tower
CPF Postmaster Reports:

We have received some good news from Lara that the downtown London nest site has a new male on territory and he appears to be courting the resident female! After several years of inactivity, things are looking good as it appears that the territorial female has finally attracted an available male.

Both birds were observed circling the tower and one landing at the nest ledge with what could have been a pigeon and feathers raining down shortly after. Clouds of feathers were also observed drifting off the Libro building on York St. the previous week, but the peregrine could not be seen at this time.

Lara

Funny I was just looking at that cam....YAY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3y3pkHy5cW4

Momma's feeding the little  now

[Shaky " We're experimenting with the automatic exposure settings"]

Is it me or are the non-daylight pics from the Main Cam a bit too dark? 

Shaky said last week they were playing around with the Main cam....I liked it better when it was brighter.

Shaky " We're experimenting with the automatic exposure settings"

March 20, 2010

Winter does not want to leave, regardless, spring has slowly "walked through the door" officially arriving on the calendar today. Despite the brutal northeaster of last week, the earth's annual rotation around the sun is proceeding right on schedule and summer is rapidly approaching. The days are getting longer and warmer and many birds, including that large and conspicuous harbinger of spring on the Cape and Islands — namely ospreys — are on their way back to our region for another breeding season.

This first column of the spring arrives just as the weather has changed to beautiful spring-like conditions. As this is being read, ospreys are arriving back at last year's successful nest sites. There is little to compare to one's first certain view of an osprey each year. Fortunate observers might see a migrant osprey dropping down from a great height and arriving back on the Cape and Islands at the moment of its return. The sight of one of these large, black and white beauties, dropping out of the sky from a high altitude, is breathtaking.

The return of ospreys in March shows the great interest and perhaps good fortune associated with one's first look at these impressive birds by hundreds of people. There is something awe-inspiring, some primitive satisfying feeling akin to deep meditation or the feeling of well-being after intense physical exercise, that lodges somewhere, somehow, in the recesses of the ancestral human mind.

In other words, it feels good-to see that first osprey of the spring.

Still, the birds that are here are just a fraction of the birds that are headed this way. The birds continue to steadily arrive, from now right through April 15. Keep an eye on a nest site near you and watch the action as last year's returning birds vie with newcomers for breeding rights.

While out looking for or at ospreys, it will be hard not to notice the increased level of land bird activity as well as the noise from all the bird calls and song. Roving flocks of blackbirds, some numbering well over a hundred birds, can be heard and seen as they visit the Vineyard briefly on their way further north. While listening to the creaky, rusty hinge sound emanating from the grackles, red-winged blackbirds and brown-headed cowbirds that comprise the mixed blackbird flocks, it is almost impossible not to hear singing northern cardinals and song sparrows.

The season progresses rapidly now, the pace accelerating in the annual "land grab" that birds instinctively follow to ensure their ability to reproduce their respective species. The males secure a territory, the females inspect the territory and male and decide which best suits their needs in order to build a nest, incubate eggs, brood and feed chicks and fledge young. All this must be achieved in the limited time available.

A few pine warblers have been heard singing. These birds probably spent the winter — they will soon be joined by returning migrants. The migrant pine warblers are still a couple of weeks out. This species nest in mature pitch pines in this area.

The northeaster of last week and persistent easterly winds has been putting a damper on migration but hardly stopping it. Large numbers of both common and red-throated loons are on the move both in Vineyard Sound and along the south and east shores of the Cape. A steady stream of these "funny looking" birds in flight can be seen moving easterly virtually every morning at first light. Large numbers of sea ducks are also on the move.

The abundance of bird life flying about over the near shore waters is impressive. Northern gannets, football-sized razorbills, several species of gulls and all kinds of waterfowl are engaged in migration. Many of the ducks are also performing courtship displays. To the human observer most of these displays provide a large dose of comic relief.

On the beaches, the prettiest bird on the beach, the toucan of the Cape and Islands if you will, the American oystercatchers are returning daily. The beach still has a winter feel to it: it is cold, the vegetation is brown and all is dull, which all make the impact of that first flaming orange-beaked oystercatcher all the more striking. Piping plovers, a few individuals of which are probably here as well but have yet to be reported, will be making a push to the region shortly. The majority of Cape and Islands nesting plovers will be appearing within the next two weeks.

Until next week, keep your eyes to the sky!

E. Vernon Laux's birding column appears every Saturday in the Cape Cod Times. Laux is the resident naturalist for the Linda Loring Nature Foundation on Nantucket. You can also hear him on "The Point" with Mindy Todd at 9:30 a.m. the first Monday of the month on the Cape's NPR station, WCAI, 90.1. He can be reached at vlaux@llnf.org.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/caritas_nature/4448784671/

LAKE HELEN -- Like many people, City Commissioner Cameron Lane was familiar with SeaWorld's reputation for its work with marine mammals, such as whales and manatees.

But, after his family spotted a sandhill crane in need, he was quite surprised to learn the park also rescues and rehabilitates several of Florida's largest bird species.

"I had no idea," Lane said.

In the 32 years since the park began keeping records, more than 5,000 birds have been treated, including 250 last year and 349 the year before.

More than a month ago, Lane's 11-year-old stepdaughter, Emma Geyer, spotted a sandhill crane wandering around a lake near their home with a blowgun dart in its neck.

"She has an incredible eye for wildlife," Lane said.

The family called around trying to find someone who could help the bird, and, finally, Lane said, someone recommend they call SeaWorld.

In a "series of conversations," park employees advised them to try to keep track of the bird's movements.

Then, one day they received a phone call saying two park employees were going to be able to drive up and try to rescue the crane March 16. By that time the dart had fallen out but the bird still needed medical attention.

"We ran out to the lake and started looking around," Lane said.

With binoculars, his wife, Teresa, spotted the crane on the other side of the lake. Lane went over and kept tabs on the crane until SeaWorld arrived.

"It was kind of exciting," he said. "They were very skilled and did a great job of cornering the crane and catching it."

"I had actually been within about three feet of the crane, but all I ended up with was a mouthful of dirt," he said. "They're quick."

So far this year, the park's avian rehabilitation center has treated 16 sandhill cranes, said Julie Ensor, assistant curator of birds.

Major bird rehabilitators in Central Florida say they split responsibility for caring for large birds. Long-legged waders go to SeaWorld, Ensor said. Birds of prey, such as eagles and hawks, are taken to the Audubon of Florida's Center for Birds of Prey, while Volusia County's Marine Science Center treats seabirds.

When the Lake Helen crane arrived at SeaWorld, a park veterinarian checked the crane's trachea and esophagus to make sure they were working correctly. Ensor said the veterinarian removed tissue built up around the injury and administered antibiotics to prevent infection.

Caretakers feed recovering cranes a mixture of cracked corn, dog food pellets and even mice that have been frozen and thawed.

"Since they are wild," the birds can be really skittish, she said.

The large wading birds are kept in enclosures, off the beaten path and away from park visitors.

"We set them back where there's not a lot of traffic and noise where they can remain calm."

For years, as the Central Florida population grew and pushed into more rural areas, sandhill cranes have become more ubiquitous in suburban neighborhoods and on golf courses. That increasing contact with humans often leaves the cranes with uncomfortable and life-threatening injuries.

"The numbers have increased because we're going out and building homes in the natural environment, and people are more aware of the native wildlife," she said.

Cranes often graze very near the edge of the road, and they often are hit by cars. Ensor said they've also seen cranes with arrows in their chests and nail-gun injuries.

In 2008, the park treated 63 sandhill cranes. Sometimes, the birds wind up losing their wings or have permanent injuries that prevent them from being released into the wild.

In a few months, the Orlando park plans to put out a sandhill-crane display to help park visitors learn more about the gangly birds.

As for the Lake Helen crane, it will be monitored at SeaWorld for another couple of weeks, Ensor said. Then, when the veterinarian clears the bird, it will be released, probably near the point where it was rescued.

[Caption: A male bald eagle, dubbed "Whitey" by observers, stands watch on a sycamore limb overlooking the New River. A nest occupied by his mate and two offspring can be seen at the junction of tree limbs at left.]

 

HINTON, W.Va. -- If the arrival of spring signals a time of birth and renewal, springtime came a day early to the New River Gorge on Friday, when the first offspring from the first documented bald eagle nest in Southern West Virginia were seen for the first time.

From a cliffside vantage point a quarter mile away, a downy pair of newly hatched eagle chicks could be seen wobbling their way around the nest and being beak-fed bits of prey by their mother. Their father could be seen standing sentry on a nearby limb, or hunting for more food in the form of ducks in the nearby New River.

The nest is located in a sycamore tree on an island downstream from Hinton, within the boundaries of the New River Gorge National River. The nest and its two adult occupants were discovered in December. A group of 15 volunteer birders has spent more than 150 hours monitoring the eagles' activities. They managed to keep the island aerie secret until now, to limit human presence in the area until the breeding season had ended.

"We've got a couple of little bobble-heads in there," said one of the volunteers, Wendy Perrone, director of the Three Rivers Avian Center, as she eyed the eagle chicks through a high-powered spotting telescope on Friday morning. The two adult eagles had been seen sharing egg incubation duties at the nest for several weeks following mating activity observed in early February.

But two days ago, the eagle watchers noticed behavior changes in the 4-year-old female, who observers named Streaky, due to a mascara-like smudge near her eyes. "Streaky changed from a calm, sit-on-eggs mom into a very agitated, almost neurotic mom," Perrone said. "We thought something might be up with the eggs beginning to hatch."

While watching Streaky and her mate, Whitey, observers have learned much about bald eagles.

"I thought they built their nests with sticks they picked off the ground," said Perrone. "But they were breaking small branches off trees, really putting their body weight into it, to snap them off. Then they dug through the snow to pick up big wads of dry grass for lining material. It's amazing how much stuff they put in their nests."

In early February, an immature bald eagle flew past the pair's island and Whitey immediately engaged it in an aerial turf war that included a midair talon-to-talon duel. The younger bird flew away in search of uncontested territory.

Jim Phillips, the naturalist at Pipestem Resort State Park, discovered the nest three months ago, while driving on the access road to the New River Gorge's Sandstone Falls.

"I was taking my dog out for a walk at the falls when I saw two eagles sitting on a branch," he said. While returning from Sandstone, Phillips made it a point to look for the eagles again

The Pipestem naturalist said that when his wife learned he had finally discovered an active bald eagle nest after years of searching, she joked, "Well, your life's over, now."

 But Phillips said he plans to enjoy monitoring the activities of the young eagles and their parents. He also said it is satisfying to see the belief in the presence of nesting eagles in the New River Gorge area validated.

"It's time to break out the cigars," he said. "It's great to confirm that they're here, and I'm really going to enjoy watching them."

It remains to be seen whether the New River Gorge eagles will remain in the area year-round or spend winters elsewhere. If they migrate southward or travel east to the Chesapeake bay later this year, it seems likely they will return to their New River nest.

"Bald eagles have been known to use the same nests for as long as 35 years," Perrone said.

About 20 pairs of bald eagles nest in West Virginia annually, with varying degrees of successful reproduction. Most of the nesting West Virginia eagles live in the Eastern Panhandle, along the Potomac River and its headwater streams in the northeastern mountains, or at scattered sites along the Ohio River in the northern portion of the state. The New River nesting site, found at the south end of the New River Gorge National River, is by far the state's southernmost bald eagle nest.

The creation of Bluestone Lake helped provide the habitat for waterfowl and larger fish favored by bald eagles, once they rebounded from near extinction following widespread use of the now-banned pesticide DDT during the middle of the past century. Presence of DDT in the food chain inhibited the development of eggshells strong enough to remain intact through incubation. In 1963, only 417 nesting pairs of bald eagles could be found in the lower 48 states.

A ban on DDT and special protective policies mandated by including the bald eagle on the endangered species list helped the national symbol rebound. In 1995, the bald eagle's status was downgraded from an endangered to a threatened species.

Creation of the New River Gorge National River, a unit of the National Park Service, in 1978, helped restore and preserve habitat for threatened or endangered species like the bald eagle and the peregrine falcon.

"It's really exciting to see that the ecosystem has recovered enough, and the habitat is healthy enough, to host a once-endangered species like the bald eagle," said Scott Stoneham, a National Park Service wildlife biologist at New River Gorge National River. "We knew that breeding in the area was likely, but it was fantastic to have it confirmed here. We really appreciate the many hours and considerable work volunteers have done to monitor the nest."

"It really makes you feel good that they chose this place, right here in the New River Gorge, to build their nest," Perrone said. "Now, we get to watch the young eagles grow up and learn to fly."

"I saw one of them standing up in a nest," he said. "I couldn't believe it. I've hiked, pedaled bikes and paddled canoes all over this part of the state for years looking for bald eagle nests, and I see one right out the window of my truck."

Discovery of a nest and young eagles in the New River Gorge area has been something of a quest for Phillips, who has been coordinating annual bald eagle-sighting forays here for five years, convinced that nesting activity is occurring.

"Bald eagles have been seen year-round in this part of the state since 2003," he said. "An eagle nest was found in 2002, but bald eagles were never seen occupying it. We started doing one-day bald eagle surveys in January five years ago, and added a March survey during nesting time three years ago."

During the March survey this year, 19 bald eagles were spotted. "We've been seeing so many immature eagles, it seems likely there could be another nest or two in the area," Phillips said.

Caption: A male bald eagle, dubbed "Whitey" by observers, stands watch on a sycamore limb overlooking the New River. A nest occupied by his mate and two offspring can be seen at the junction of tree limbs at left.

both there Get up early much? These 2 can't get enough of each other. 

[Wow Paul, sounds like you went through the "FUN" mill yesterday. Good for you and what a grand pic of your Peregrine. Glad you had a great birthday. Oh, and what was the breakfast of the day?]

Wow Paul, sounds like you went through the "FUN" mill yesterday. Good for you and what a grand pic of your Peregrine. Glad you had a great birthday. Oh, and what was the breakfast of the day?

Look how much Noah has grown....since last week. He'll be leaving soon...to his new Hack box. 

Too bad they didn't choose this box, seems to be a bit drier in the rain...this one is probably facing the elements.

Don't look a gift horse in the mouth...a bit of blowing rain is WAY better than the rain gutter they chose last year!

LOL..tru dat Ei...