Territorial fight here about 1.5 hours ago, still waiting on someone to come back.  Boots on the ground have headed there.  

Lil Dad had gone away for his annual vacation and was due back any day and today might have been the day - a new tiercel had moved in while he was gone.  Hopefully no one is hurt here.  Sure is a lot of trouble starting earlier this year.  

Wow, this is early, all the males are coming home already? Crazy start to what we hoped would be a good year. Thanks Carly!

 Thanks Patsy for going out. MAK sent me this pic from her phone. So sad whoever it is. I prayed it wasn't Beauty or Pigott but with Pigott not showing up at BS, I'm a bit concerned. If it is Pigott and she and Beauty had an early morning battle, we CAN'T blame Beauty. I know how people get and just want to hate her and I felt the same when Mariah was injured. I forgave and others must also. This is the life of a Falcon, they defend, it's what they do. I hate seeing any falcon injured from a battle but it happens every day in the bird world, we just don't see it like we have here the past few years. I PRAY it isn't Pigott but if not......then who? Sad no matter!

(There may not have been a battle, maybe this falcon was injured by something else and just landed there), we'll probably never know.

http://www.aol.com/video/the-peregrine-falcon-a-tower-of-power/517642424/?a_dgi=aolshare_facebook  May have been posted but....

Like Ei said, full crop!

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/alessondra-s-owl-cam#  Another planter cam, great close-up too. She's on 2 eggs.

Official Press Release For Project Lucy ~

As many of you have seen, Lucy has returned to the nest for significant time in the last few days. We have been watching closely since we first suspected in late November that she might have an injury to her foot. These recent visits to the nest since Sunday (12/16/12) have given us the opportunity for some very close up examination of her feet. Using the PTZ camera to get clear views of her feet has allowed us to draw some conclusions about her condition that we were unable to do up to now.

What we have seen does not look good. In these images it is clear that the toes of the right foot are dead tissue. This is something we suspected might be the case back in November when we had only glimpses of what appeared to be gray or missing toes. Since at that time we could not be certain of the extent of injury from those first images, we embarked on a project to try to capture Lucy in order to examine and evaluate her condition. Despite being prepared to capture her at one of three sites in the area, we have been unable to capture Lucy, as she remains able to fly. We have continued to keep track of her as much as possible through direct observation. We have continued to see both Lucy, and her mate Larry, in the area of the nest. Sunday 12/16/12 was the first time she returned to the nest and we were able to capture enough close images of her feet to draw conclusions about her condition.

After thorough expert review of the video and still photo images, we have determined that there is no treatment available for Lucy. It is not possible to repair tissue that has died. As noted above, it is likely that even when we first suspected something was wrong, the tissue was already dead. In all likelihood, the injury occurred some months in advance of our first suspecting something was wrong, perhaps as early as August or September. Due to the time of year, in the fall of the year, Lucy simply was not regularly present in the nest. Consequently, we did not become aware of the injury until the toes had already died. Even had we been able to capture her at our first indication of injury, there is no treatment that could have saved her toes. As discussed in previous posts, an eagle’s toes and feet are critical to her survival. Not only are healthy feet vital for hunting, but as perching birds, eagles spend much of their time on their feet. Injuries to the feet are devastating for birds of prey.

The team that assembled to attempt to determine what happened to Lucy, and if possible capture and evaluate her, has determined that a capture is no longer the best option. Since there is no available treatment for Lucy, a capture is an unnecessary intrusion into the life of this wild bird. If we were able to examine her in person, we might find some clue as to what the cause of injury might be, but knowing we cannot save her foot makes the risks of capture for Lucy far greater than any advantage for her. Without treatment options to repair the damage to her foot, she would be left with one foot which is an untenable condition for any large bird. For Lucy, or any bird with the extent of injuries that Lucy exhibits, if she were to come into human care, the most likely outcome would almost certainly be euthanasia.

We have decided against this course for several reasons. First, we do not have reason to believe that Lucy is in pain. Dead tissue is not painful. The toes on her right foot are dead. We have also observed some swelling on her left foot, likely as result of her having to compensate, using the left foot to support most of her weight for many weeks. It is difficult to know whether this is painful for her, but based on her behavior, she is not in severe distress. Lucy continues to fly, eat, defecate and preen. These are all good signs of her overall well-being. Somehow, she is managing despite these serious impairments and adapting to her disability.

We will continue to monitor the situation closely. If Lucy’s condition deteriorates to the point that she is in severe distress, or is on the ground and cannot fly, we would move in to assist her. If Lucy were completely unable to manage, she could not have survived this long. Somehow she has adapted to her new abilities. It is at least possible that she could breed. A female eagle spends many months on the nest, without having to perch or hunt, as the male supplies most of the food for the family.

We have no desire to create a false hope. Lucy’s condition is dire. In all likelihood, the toes on her right foot will soon drop off. Again, they are dead tissue and have been dead for some time. There is no pain associated with dead tissue. Although she has managed for sometime following this injury, she may not be able to do so much longer. Winter is a difficult time even for healthy wildlife. Food is scarce and weather conditions test even a vigorous animal’s strength. Due to her limitations, Lucy will likely be eating more carrion, which will increase her risk of exposure to lead, a common cause of death in wild eagles. Lucy may not survive the winter.

Eagles4Kids will continue to stream video from the nest camera. Wildlife cams offer us an opportunity to view the life of eagles and other species as never before. As educators, we all believe that whatever the outcome for Lucy, ultimately, we will learn something. Life for eagles and all wild species is precarious. In the first season of Eagles4Kids, students and viewers learned a difficult lesson after the original female at the nest disappeared before laying eggs and no young were produced that year. However, we saw the perseverance of nature when Lucy and Larry successfully fledged two young last year. We are already learning that wild animals can adapt in ways that seem impossible to us. So, these eagles we have become so attached to may yet have something to teach us from this current situation.

We are grateful to everyone for their care and concern for Lucy and all wildlife. We, like all of you, care about Lucy as an individual bird. But we also recognize our limitations. Even though we may wish we could help her, we know that there’s nothing to be done right now.

We especially thank you for your patience. This process has been complex, time-consuming and at times heart wrenching. Each of the partners, all of whom have volunteered their time to this project, have needed to carefully evaluate the information, discuss and decide on next steps. We know that has meant that often the viewer, those of you so engaged with Lucy throughout these recent web cam seasons, have been left wondering what was happening. We have done our best to update everyone along the way. We are committed to communicating openly and honestly about this process, but at times kept the process private so that each of the partners could do their best work. We will do our best to share with you at this time the images and information we used to come to these conclusions. Thank you for your continued patience and care.

Eagles4Kids
National Eagle Center
Raptor Education Group, Inc (REGI)
Raptor Services, LLC

From fb

http://www.ustream.tv/eagles4kids  Here is Lucy and Larry, Lucy has major problems with her feet. Both of them are deformed from something and they are not certain what caused this.



This was Dec 19, her left Talon looks much better today.

It's very sad to watch but she's dealing. I don't think she can perch so she sleeps in the nest. Larry brings her food to the nest but she also goes down to the ground to pick at the carcass that is put there for her.



Larry & Lucy.

Hope she heals but will never be the same, her right foot is a stub and the other seems to be healing a bit. Praying they have a successful nesting season but it may be a bit hard on her.



http://youtu.be/78_j3LvefPg 


Thank you Kris G for showing me the way!

http://youtu.be/3QpQ0Fuv8DE They call him/her the "Peeping Pervert Falcon" at Montreal University.

Beauty was up quite early, on Mercury for a split second.

I'm going to like this one!  So cute!

I talked to BFaye today and she's doing great, but hasn't been on the computer much at all this past year or so.  It was good to know she's doing well, she's such a nice person.  Thought I'd pass it along being she hasn't been on here for a while. 

Wow, a blast from the past! Glad she's well. Thanks Nora. I wrote to BNer a while ago also, she was very busy with adoptions and family matters. Good to know our peeps are still out there! 

A peregrine falcon found injured in Chesapeake in 2010 needed to be euthanized today.

The falcon, named Chayton, was first admitted to the Wildlife Center of Virginia in February 2010. He was found in Chesapeake with a broken wing, a center news release said.

Because of the injury, Chayton couldn’t fly well enough to be released. As a result, he became an education falcon. He appeared in 113 programs and met more than 2,400 people, the release said.

Chayton suffered from pododermatitis, or “bumblefoot,� an inflammatory condition of the feet. He needed surgeries in 2010, 2011 and 2012.

Today, veterinarians found Chayton’s left foot to be significantly worse, the release said. With a large lesion and swollen foot, the team decided to euthanize him.

Chayton received his name in 2012, from a fourth grader at Camp Allen Elementary School in Norfolk. The Sioux word for falcon is Chayton.

Fly Free   

Feel bad, poor guy!

http://youtu.be/QiYIYXEX9Ko Wow!

Another beautiful pic of Azalea

Since Azalea had been hanging around the Edinburgh Commons (Hillcrest Parkway) section of Chesapeake I decided to head down there early this morning. I got there just after sun rise to find a first year bird in a tree behind the Home Depot. As soon as I got out of the car, he was gone! A few minutes later in comes Azalea. Finally I got so see her. It has been 2 years since I last saw her over off Witchduck Point in Virginia Beach. She stayed for a few minutes before flying off to the north. She circled back and landed on the bank of the retention pond between Home Depot and Wendy's. Poor girl has to eat now and then, so she grabbed a fish and headed over to the on ramp for 168 North to eat. After finishing the fish, she headed over to the Wal-Mart parking lot and roosted in soon trees for a few minutes. Then west to roost along Hillcrest Parkway for a couple of minutes. She then flew off and was not seen for a few minutes, but she returned to a tree along Hillcrest Parkway where she was joined by an adult Bald Eagle. This bird has no bling (un-banded). There was no signs of aggression between these two birds. Maybe Azalea has a boyfriend! The male left and flew off over the lake and Azalea headed back to the Wal-Mart parking lot. She roosted in a couple of trees before heading back over to a tree behind Home Depot. She roosted in a tree there for a bit when in comes a 2 year old juvenile eagle. It too had no bling. Both the juvenile and Azalea left a couple of minutes headed north along 168. The juvenile was spotted in a tree along the on ramp for 168 North. It flew off rather quickly at which point I called it quits. The last 2 are a pair of Red Tail Hawks that hang around at Handbury and 168. Enjoy the photos.
by: James Deal



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