WCNC Eagle cam (NC) Savannah sitting on eggs

[Donna]

http://www.wcnc.com/marketplace/microsite-content/wcnc-eagle-cam.html  web cam

3 eggs!!! 

[Donna]

Looks like 2 hatched but 1 is not doing well. They said it took all it's strength to come out of it's shell. Haven't read where it died..sooo...

[Dumpsterkitty]

On the Norfolk chat they said the weak one didn't make it...but I caught this pic of the survivor...looks good!

[Donna]

On the Norfolk chat they said the weak one didn't make it...but I caught this pic of the survivor...looks good!

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- One of Savannah's eggs hatched Friday and now the nest is covered in several inches of snow.

Savannah is being a dedicated mom and has been sitting on her nest all morning.

Savannah left her nest for a short period of time Friday morning and an eaglet was spotted.



Savannah had three eggs in her nest. Officials at the Carolina Raptor Center said Savannah removed one of the eggs from the nest because it was not viable.

Officials expect the last egg to hatch Sunday or Monday.

The normal length of incubation for bald eagle eggs is 34-37 days. Keep a close eye on the eagle cam and you could see little eaglets!

OK, so now she has 1 mouth to feed...thanks Ei.  

[Dumpsterkitty]

I don't see an unhatched egg, so I guess just the one made it.  It should be interesting to watch since they're in a raptor center-neither parent is releasable and they're in a flight cage with 5 other eagles from what I hear.

[Donna]

Should be interesting, I agree...Ei

[Donna]

Savannah on eaglet, Derek keeps watch

[Donna]

I'm surprised all 5 eagles get along enclosed in 1 pen, especially during nesting season. How do they get food? Hand fed? I looked on the site but didn't find any info.

[Dumpsterkitty]

I saw a person in there earlier-looked like he was scattering food

[Donna]

I saw a person in there earlier-looked like he was scattering food

Makes sense, thanks Ei.

[Dot_Forrester]

But how will the baby eagle learn to fly and hunt?

Dot in PA

[Donna]

But how will the baby eagle learn to fly and hunt?

Dot in PA

Here ya go Dot-

How are the eaglets released?

Carolina Raptor Center has a partnership with Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation to provide the secure release site in North Mecklenburg. The site is located among nearly 2,700 acres of nature preserve along the lake, all of which is protected by Mecklenburg County. The proximity to water provides critical foraging and roosting opportunities for the eaglets as they learn to hunt and survive on their own.

The eaglets are raised by their parents for the first few weeks to ensure they become properly imprinted. When the eaglets are ready to be separated from their parents, at 5-6 weeks of age, staff move them to an artificial nest or "hacking tower" at the release site. For several weeks, they acclimatize to their new "nest" as we feed them through a specially designed food hatch which allows us to slide the food, unseen, into the nest. Then, we open the doors of the hacking tower, and the young bird can try out its wings, and practice hunting on its own. Young bald eagles are ready to make their first flights around 12 weeks of age. They can return to the "nest" for food and security until independent. Instincts tell them how to hunt for fish, but they need to practice their skills. Besides eagles, the tower has also been used for "hacking" ospreys.

[Donna]

Bald Eagles  at WCNC


Adler
   

Adler is one of Carolina Raptor Center's resident bald eagles. He arrived at our rehabilitation facility in the fall of 2005, not quite a year old, after being found on the ground in Stanly, North Carolina. When one of our transport volunteers got a call asking her to check on a large raptor that had been spotted on the ground, she had no idea what she might be in for! As she worked for over an hour to safely catch the eagle, a coyote was keeping his eyes on her AND the young bald eagle the entire time! Once in our facility, X-rays revealed that Adler had been shot, and his right wing had suffered permanent damage, leaving him unable to fly well enough to be returned to the wild. Many people mistakenly believe that these large birds are a threat to their pets or their children. Bald eagles, weighing between six and fourteen pounds, eat a diet consisting primarily of fish, and when they do go after something bigger, they typically cannot carry more than 2-4 pounds. So, family pets and small children are quite safe! Although Adler cannot be returned to the wild, he now has an important job: acting as an ambassador and teaching people throughout the Carolinas about the importance of raptors and the natural environment.

Dante is the newest eagle to join our education team. Dante came to Carolina Raptor Center in the summer of 2007, from a private rehabilitator and educator in Ohio. He was found in Ottawa County, Ohio, in 1997, after his nest fell out of a tree - with Dante and his sibling inside!! His sibling had only minor injuries and was able to be relocated to another nest where he fledged later that summer. Unfortunately, Dante was trapped underneath the nest when it fell (bald eagle nests can weigh several tons!), and his left wing was very badly injured. Back to the Wild, a rehabilitation center in Ohio, gave him the best treatment possible, and then sent him to the University of Minnesota Raptor Center for additional treatment for his wing, as they were hoping he might be releasable. Unfortunately, his wing injury was quite severe, and after many months of rehabilitation, the Minnesota Raptor Center sent him back to Ohio as a permanently non-releasable eagle. After returning to Ohio, Dante was continuing to struggle with his injured wing, and the decision was made to amputate nearly all of his left wing. Dante then spent several years as an education bird at Back to the Wild before being transferred to another Ohio rehabilitator for education purposes. After only a year in his new home, the educator decided to downsize the number of education birds at her facility and began to look for a new home for Dante. He was flown in to Charlotte from Cleveland, Ohio, this past summer, and we are very lucky to have him as part of our team!

Derek a male bald eagle, came to Carolina Raptor Center in August of 1998 from the South Carolina Center for Birds of Prey (now known as the International Center for Birds of Prey) in Charleston, SC. He was at least seven years old when he arrived. He had been found in December of 1995 with a gun shot injury that resulted in a broken left leg and a broken right wing. Although rehabilitators were able to treat his wing and his leg, Derek is not able to fly well enough to survive on his own in the wild. He lives on display at Carolina Raptor Center, where he acts as an ambassador for the 38,000 visitors that visit each year. For the past several years, he has bonded with Savannah, one of the bald eagles that shares his display aviary. Their offspring, Len and Lola, were hatched in March of 2006, and have been released to the wild. You can track their progress on our website. Click here for Eagle Journeys.

Derek is named after a very special boy that visited Carolina Raptor Center on many occasions. Derek Hageman loved raptors and could name almost every raptor. He pointed them out to his parents and would tell his classmates stories about the birds. When Derek passed away at the age of nine, Carolina Raptor Center became a place of remembrance for his family. His mother volunteered at CRC as she was learning to deal with her loss. At a memorial service at Derek's school, Carolina Raptor Center released a rehabilitated hawk as symbolic of Derek's spirit beginning a new journey. Derek was a special boy and it was a wonderful tribute to name one of our resident eagles after him.
»Click here to adopt Derek!
garibaldi

Garibaldi
   

All of the birds at Carolina Raptor Center are lucky because they were rescued, but Garibaldi was lucky enough to be rescued twice! The first time he was rescued was in Florida in 1998. He had been found stuck in a tree, hanging by his wing for over 24 hours. He was treated at the Florida Audubon Center for Birds of Prey, but he had a hole in the skin of his wing so he couldn’t fly well or soar at all! He lived happily at the Carolina Raptor Center’s eagle aviary, until July 2005 when a severe storm caused the eagle aviary to collapse. Garibaldi was flying free once more. The problem was, he couldn’t fly well enough to hunt. He was able to scavenge for food until February 2006 (seven months later!) when he was located and recaptured near Beverly Hills Elementary School in Concord. He was very thin when he returned, but otherwise healthy. After monitoring him for a few weeks in our rehabilitation center, he was returned to take his high perch in the eagle aviary once again.

Luke was nine years old when he arrived at Carolina Raptor Center in June 1995 from the Virginia Tech. School of Forestry & Wildlife Resources. The tip of Luke’s right wing had to be amputated after a collision with a power line. Power line collisions and electrocutions are common causes of injury among bald and golden eagles due to the large wingspans of these birds and the short amount of space between power lines. As a result of his injury, Luke cannot fly well enough to hunt and survive on his own in the wild. For this reason he remains in our eagle aviary as an ambassador for his species.

Savannah came to CRC in 1998 from the South Carolina Center for Birds of Prey in Charleston, South Carolina. She was found in the wild with a fractured left wing, and although we are not sure exactly what caused her injury, it is most likely the result of a collision, whether with a vehicle or power line or something else we’ll never know. She has adjusted to life at CRC quite well, and has found a mate here. Savannah and Derek have raised two eaglets in our aviary, and we were able to successfully release those eaglets to the wild. You can check on the progress of the eaglets, Len and Lola, here.

Raleigh is one of our oldest resident raptors, having arrived in April of 1986 from Nebraska when she was only a year old. Her left wing was shot and the entire wing had to be amputated in order to save her life. While it is hard to tell the age of many raptors past their first year of life, bald eagles can be aged up to 5 years, as their head does not turn completely white until they are between five and seven years old. However, if a bald eagle arrives at CRC’s hospital as an adult, he or she may be as old as 25!

[Dot_Forrester]

Thanks, Donna.  I'm happy the eaglets will be cared for while they learn to fly and hunt, but it must be awful for the parents to have their chicks taken.

Dot in PA

[Donna]

Thanks, Donna.  I'm happy the eaglets will be cared for while they learn to fly and hunt, but it must be awful for the parents to have their chicks taken.

Dot in PA

I agree but it has to be done for their survival.