Short-toed Eagle webcam, Israel

[AlisonL]

There is a webcam somewhere in Israel which follows a family of Short-toed Eagles (Circaetus Gallicus). For the safety of the birds, the location is not disclosed.

There is one chick in the nest. I think he (or she) will be fledging soon, since he has aready ventured onto a branch. The nest is in a carob tree.









http://www.birds.org.il/he/tracking-methods.aspx?camId=22

[Kris G.]

I've watched this cam for quite a while and there's been many problems.  Mom has disappeared twice for 5 days which compromised adequate nutrition for the Eaglet.  One night, there were poachers that attempted to take the Eaglet.  Luckily, cam watchers alerted people about what was happening.  They have a really good FB page where they post day events with videos plus a good English translation.  This was the post from the night the poachers came.  The video of the occurrence is on FB.

Nesting Disorder Live!
Operation Poachers! English below.
Yesterday evening we witnessed a poaching attempt live on the nestcam!
Every year a few dozen raptor nests are poached and chicks are stolen, yesterday it nearly happened live!
So what happened? In the late afternoon 3 unidentified people climbed to the Short-toed Eagle nest, the eaglet startled and jumped from the nest! The poachers then noticed the camera and microphones and decided to give up. They threw the Eaglet back towards the nest and fled! The Eaglet fell to the ground and was probably not to survive the night. The whole thing was filmed and broadcasted live on our nestcam! We quickly alerted the Nature and Parks Authority that responded quickly and managed to track down the poachers.
Our team "jumped" towards the location and together with the NPA wardens reached the Eaglet, examined it and managed to return the little guy to the nest, just before nightfall.
We cannot stress enough the help and dedication of the Nature and Parks Authority. Their response yesterday and their everyday dedication to protect the nature of Israel is invaluable, we thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.
Finally, we would like to thank YOU, the followers of the nestcam for your alerts and messages, it is thanks to you that we were able to respond quickly and return the Eaglet in time. We hope this season continues without any more drama and unnecessary heartbeats and that the little guy fledges safely in a few weeks!
Thank you.
Gilad Fridman Jonathan Meyrav and the team.

I just hope the Eaglet survives to fledging. 

[AlisonL]

I've watched this cam for quite a while and there's been many problems.  Mom has disappeared twice for 5 days which compromised adequate nutrition for the Eaglet.  One night, there were poachers that attempted to take the Eaglet.  Luckily, cam watchers alerted people about what was happening.  They have a really good FB page where they post day events with videos plus a good English translation.  This was the post from the night the poachers came.  The video of the occurrence is on FB.

Thank you, Kris! I was aware that Mom had disappeared for five days, but I did see Dad at the nest during that time. I did not know about the poachers attempting to steal the eaglet. I am so glad that they were stopped, and that the little guy was safely returned to the nest. It is great that people responded so quickly to rescue him.

Webcams unquestionably save lives, and do help to protect the birds in most cases (except for one infamous incident in which the perpetrators also stole the cams).

I hope the little eaglet will fledge safely and have a long and successful life. He is a beautiful little bird.

Nice to know you are following this nest too -- I didn't think anyone else here did. I have been watching this nest for some months now, since before there was a chick.

[Kris G.]

It's been quite interesting..especially all the snakes that are consumed (I'm not a fan of snakes  )! I guess that's why they're also known as Short-toed Snake Eagles!  Here's a short summary, from FB, of the nest events this year-

Short toed eagle nest
http://www.birds.org.il/he/tracking-methods.aspx?camId=22

Big snakes and Big Dramas!
The female disappeared and we feared for the Eaglet!
The truth is we are pretty fed up with the drama of the last weeks (Poachers, fires, strangling snakes, Owls…) but we wanted to share one of our biggest fears.
As you recall on July 14th the female went missing and for the next days the number of prey items dropped since the male provided alone. We watched the little guy weaken before our eyes but then the mother returned on the 19th, with food and we sighed in relief. Surprisingly after a short stay the female vanished again for another 5 days! The Eaglet kept fading with the low supply of food, we feared the worst. Furthermore, when we returned the Eaglet to the nest we felt how light and thin it was. But, nature has her own rhythm and the day after the rescue (July 24th) the female returned with a snake. Once again we were relieved but the Eaglet was still weak.
The first signs of recovery came that evening (July 24th) when the Eaglet received a huge Black Whip Snake which took over an hour to consume! The following morning the Eaglet looked much better and stood up for long periods.
Since then the female visits the nest only once a day with prey. The male on the other hand is working hard to provide and in the last couple of days delivered another large Whip Snake, another snake and 6 (!) juicy chameleons.
To conclude, we hope that we are finally "in the clear" and things are going smoothly, but with this crazy season, we never know Gilad Fridman Jonathan Meyrav and the team.

[Kris G.]

Video of the attempted poaching incident-

http://youtu.be/qC16c1QD_YY

[Bobbie Ireland]

Dear lord re that poaching possibility! Good for those people who were on the watch! My teeth hurt as they are grinding with anger!!! Dammit. But. Hoping that this keeps them away if they know We Are Watching!!!

[Kris G.]

Fledging is around the corner

The short-toed Eaglet is already 9 weeks old (63 days) and fledging fever is upon us.
The little guy is busy flapping and strengthening it's wings while jumping on the branches around the nest.
Usually Short-toed Eagles leave the nest at the age of 65-80 days so the time is coming near.
In the past days the female had only delivered 2 snakes to the nest and has once again disappeared since July 28th. Never the less the Eaglet looks strong and healthy and eats 2-5 prey items a day, daddy is really putting in the extra effort
As you noticed ever since the poaching attempt our microphone is broken and makes weird noises. The poachers apparently broke it and we have decided not to approach the nest till the season is over so all we can do is deal with the constant ticking of the mic. Stay posted, only a few days to go!
Gilad Fridman, Jonathan Meyrav and the team.

http://youtu.be/bBvHMbE0Qmk