Monday

Last day of 2007 thread.

Sunday

New thread.

Friday

New thread.

Christmas Day

Holiday Thread.

Monday

Christmas Eve Thread.

Sunday

Fresh thread.

Saturday

New thread. Biggest shopping day of the year, let's be careful out there.

Friday

New thread.

Thursday

New thread.

Wednesday

New thread.



Update--Picture from Paula:

Tuesday

New thread.

Monday

New thread.

Sunday

New thread. Lots of rain here last night.

Yesterday, we turned south onto a road called the Snickersville Turnpike near our house. Up in a tree I saw a bird, likely a hawk I figured, perched 30 feet over the road. As we got closer, we saw it was not hawk, but an adult bald eagle. We stopped the car and watched it for a while. The bird didn't seem the least bit bothered by us...

Saturday

New thread.

Friday

New thread.

Thursday

New thread.

Wednesday

Wednesday morning eagle picture, and thread.

Tuesday

New thread.

Monday

New thread.

Sunday

New thread.

Saturday

Fresh thread.

Friday

New thread.

Update on a raw and cold Friday--4:55PM:

Thursday

New thread. Cold morning.

Update 4:50 PM:

Wednesday

Snow thread.

Tuesday

Late new thread.

Monday

New thread.

Sunday

New thread.

Saturday

New thread.

Friday

New thread.


4:25 at the nest:

Thursday

New thread.

Wednesday

New thread.




Update 4:45pm A fresh squirrel for supper.

Tuesday

Back from CT. New thread.

Monday

New thread.

Sunday

New thread. Got back from Delware last night, now off to CT for a few days.

Friday

Big change in the weather thread.

Thanksgiving

Turkey Day thread.

Steve has been watching our eagles closely and decided to set up the exclusion area around the nest because of all of the nest activity. A good sign.

Wednesday

New Thread.

Tuesday

New thread.

Monday

New week thread.

Sunday

New thread.

Saturday

New thread.

Friday

New thread.

Thursday Update

Jo Sent Steve W and I a few pics from this AM. Above is one of them.

Steve is pretty convinced now that the bird hanging out yesterday is one of the original fledges from the NCTC nest, probably a male. He will likely set up a territory with 5-10 miles of here, find a mate, and work to build a new nest.

Thursday

New thread.

Wednesday

The shot above was captured this AM. Steve W. and I have discussed, and it seems like there are a couple of things that could be going on. First off, it is one of our adult eagles that has been eating carrion of some sort, like a dead deer and has not cleaned up yet.

It could be an adult that has gotten into a scrap with another critter.

Steve's first impression is that it may be a new eagle, and if so, because of the mottling on the head, could be one of the eaglets hatched four years ago in this nest. We'll need to keep a close eye to determine if this is the case. If it is a juvenile, it will be chased off by the adults.

There are other scenarios as well, but these seem the most likely to us.

Update 1:27 pm:

Steve W. just stopped in and said that he is more confident that the bird this AM is a four year old eagle. There's an eagle perched over the nest now, so we'll keep watching.

Tuesday

New thread.

Monday

Wet morning thread.

Sunday

New thread.

Saturday

Long weekend thread 1.

Friday

New thread.

Thursday

New thread. Cold morning.

Wednesday

New thread.

Tuesday

New thread.

Monday

New thread.

Sunday

New thread.

Saturday

New thread. Come on out to the Film Festival at NCTC today and tomorrow!

Friday

Our Internet is up again thread.

Thursday

I looked at 7:10 and nothing, so I was ten minutes to early...new thread with snapshot from Suzanne.

Wednesday

Fresh thread.

Tuesday

photo from Suzanne.

New thread.

Monday

New thread.

Addendum:

It was quite a scene this morning as major construction was done by the eagles on the nest. It is sure looking good for another nesting season.

Saturday

New thread

Friday

Rainy Friday thread.

Thursday PM

Eagles in the nest...

Thursday

New thread

Wednesday

New thread.

Tuesday

Finally some rain thread.


Update:

Thanks for continuing to keep our cam at number one on Birdspeak!

Monday

New Thread.

Pictures

Here's a couple of snapshots I took from yesterday.

Sunday

NEw thread. Good seeing folks yesterday. What a great day.

Saturday

New thread.

Friday

New thread.

Visiting the tree

Jo sent these pictures she took today when she visited the base of the nest tree. John was there installing our fuel cell for the cam system.

Thursday

Eagles in the nest thread.

Wednesday

New thread.

Tuesday

Its been an extremely hectic day. The guys are still in the midst of the fuel cell installation, but as you can see the cam is finally back thanks to a fix out in Denver.

We have been working hard on the Open House, scheduled for this weekend here at NCTC. Make sure you all come out. Lots of critters to see, and the Momsters will have a table.

Monday

Regarding the FIX, the guys are working on getting the fuel cell installed that will eliminate this problem with the battery that we have been dealing with forever. Keith tells me they are trying to get it done today.

I had FOX on the brain yesterday because the Piedmont Hunt rallied in front of my house Saturday morning. Nobody likes to see any foxes killed, and they rarely are, but the spectacle is really neat.

Sunday

Still waiting for a fox thread.

Friday

Working on a fix thread.

Thursday

New thread.

Wednesday

New thread.

Tuesday

Long weekend, new thread.

Saturday

New thread.

I know we're all frustrated at the lock up again. I'm guessing this has to do with the fact that we must send the cam signal through another site to get it out to you, and the security issues that swallow up everything we try to do.

We are trying to get a solution that allows for good security while providing a consistent picture. Obviously not there yet...

Saturday

New thread.

Friday

New thread.

Thursday

New thread.

Wednesday

New thread.

Tuesday

New thread.

Monday

New thread.

Sunday

New thread. Sorry about the lockup...but we should all be outside with this glorious weather anyways...

Saturday

New thread.

Chalk up the locked up cam image to our colleagues in Denver...may stay that way until Monday.

Friday PM

Windy up there.

Friday

Working in the nest this AM Thread. Tried to upload a picture, but blogger is not cooperating this am...

Thursday

New thread.

Update, pic from Suzanne.

Wednesday

New thread.

Tuesday

New thread.

Monday

New thread.

Sunday

Second day of Autumn thread.

Saturday

New thread.

Friday

7:05 am, eagle in the nest.

New thread.

Thursday

New thread.

Update:

You have noticed that the cam continues to struggle in the mornings, getting better as the sun charges things up again. An integral part of the new cam is a fuel cell system, that will ensure constant power, despite the temperature and available light. We do not have that fuel cell yet, but soon.

Wednesday

Fresh thread.


Update: Here's a shot from Last night. Thanks to Vicki for this one and Jo for another shot a few minutes later.

Thanks

I pulled this of Beakspeak.com at lunch:




It really is amazing that the NCTC cam is on the top of both lists when our webcam has been off and is only now getting put back online.

Thanks for all of your support and contributions to our efforts. We all really appreciate it.

Tuesday

New thread.

Monday PM

From the nest looking northeast

Mike has a few more shots on his photo site of the ongoing work.


Solar panels and microwave dish

Monday

New thread.

Sunday

New thread. 41 degrees here.

Saturday

New thread after a nice rain.

Friday Update

We have the cam up at on the NCTC closed circuit system. We still have some technical glitches to deal with and some other work to get the picture online, but we're getting close.

The new cam is framing the nest a bit differently, it seems a bit closer than the old cam.

If I can get a frame shot I'll post it.

Friday

new thread.

Thursday

New thread.

I've been wondering if our activities in the nest had caused any disturbances with the eagle pair. I'm told that they have been back since the work, most recently seen last night at 6:30 PM.

Wednesday

New thread.

Tuesday

Well we finally got some rain. We're waiting for a couple of cables for the audio hookup, and we should be set to reactivate the cam.

New thread.

Monday

New Thread.

Sunday

New thread.

Saturday

New thread.

Polar Bear Shot

Couldn't resist posting this incredible picture. Click on it for full effect.

A few More Pictures

The truck at the tree.



Long shot of the tree and truck.


Nu in the nest.



Nu pulling up the rope.

and here's a shot of the tree in the winter:

Friday

Day after all the excitement thread.

More shots

View from the nest looking North.

Mike Gurson has a photo site up with more shots from up in the tree. See it here.

Photographs

You get a whole new perspective standing at the base of the tree. The bucket is fully extended, and up 75 feet.


Here's our talented climber, Nu, in the nest with the new cam.


A closeup of Nu. The new camera is small.


Here's the FWS crew on the ground.


Here's me (l) and Mike Gurson looking at a monitor of the cam signal.


Here's Mike watching the cam.


All of these photos by our resident photog' Todd Harless.

Thursday

The tree folks were here at 7:00 AM. I was out around 8:30 at the tree, and it was amazing to watch the tree climber up in the nest. We took a bunch of pictures. I'll post some a little later. Our adult eagles have been hanging around, working on the nest, and were there this am before we started work. They are around a fair amount in the evenings.

Also, walking out in our blue lot last night an immature bald eagle flew over us.

more soon.

Wednesday

New thread.

Tuesday

New thread.

Labor Day Monday

New thread.

Sunday

New thread.

Saturday

New thread.

Friday

New thread.

Thursday

New thread.

Wednesday

New thread.

We are working with a tree service to install the new equipment. Should happen within a week.

Tuesday

New thread.

Monday

Fresh thread for a new week.

Sunday

New thread.

Saturday

New thread.

Update:
We had a good meeting with Bedington VFD. We all determined that getting a fire truck to the tree would result in one significantly stuck firetruck. Thank you for all of your assistance on this. We have move to plan B, the tree service, and we have made progress on that front. Also, the new microwave system is being installed, we don;t need the tree truck for that. Its all very nice new equipment.

Friday

New thread.

Thursday

New thread.

Wednesday

New thread.

Tuesday

New thread.

Monday

New thread.

The equipment is here and we are scheduling tree work, to be done soon.

Friday

Almost home thread from SC.

Tuesday/Wednesday

From Florida, it's a new thread.

Sunday/Monday

New thread.

Saturday

New thread.

Friday

New thread.

Storms last night killed my internet at home, so blogging from Asheville, NC.

Thursday

New thread.

The hot weather continues, yecch.

We are anxiously awaiting the new equipment we have ordered. Should be here very soon.

I will be leaving on travel for the next week and may or may not be around a computer. I'll do what I did last time and set up a few threads for you for the week.

Wednesday

New thread.

Tuesday

They say this could be the hottest day of the year thread.

Monday

New week, new thread.

Sunday

New thread. We need rain.

Saturday

Back from CT.

New thread.

Friday

New thread from CT.

Wednesday

New thread. Check out the Channel 25 story on the NCTC Digital Photography Camp.

Tuesday

New thread.

Monday

New week, new thread.

Sunday

New thread.

Got some rain last night, finally. Not enough though...

Friday

New thread.

Thursday

New thread.

Wednesday

New thread.

Tuesday

Another nice morning thread.

I signed off on the orders for new equipment late last week. It includes a more robust power system (will prevent all of the previous problems), better microwave (less interference), and a new camera with audio.

Install in a few weeks.

Monday

New thread.

Saturday

New thread. Have a great weekend.

Friday

Fresh air from the northwest thread.

Thursday

New thread. We are making great progress on new and improved equipment. More on this soon.

Wednesday

New thread.

Tuesday

New thread.

Saturday Visit

We are thrilled that there was an eagle waiting for you. Here are a couple of shots I grabbed from your Momster group, photos by Paula

Monday

I was meaning to say something about the 500th post, but it slipped right passed me. Thanks to all who continue to congregate on this blog. Hopefully next year will bring new friends, both eagle and human.

new thread.

Saturday

Have a good NCTC visit thread.

Cool Pics

Here's a shot from an FWS mailing list I'm on. Not eagles, but fun wildlife shot nonetheless.

Friday

Hope the visit to NCTC goes well.

New thread.

Update: Check out this WV Eagle Info Brochure.

Thursday

Fresh thread.

Wednesday

Will the heat break thread.

Tuesday

Fresh thread.

Monday

Hotter yet thread.

Sunday

Even hotter day thread.

Saturday

New thread. Another Hot one.

Friday

New thread.

Cam Update: I just got a call from the tech guys who were out at the tree. About 60 feet of the cable is damaged, thus the lack of signal. We are going to pull down the webcam signal and continue our preparations to go up the tree and work at the end of the month. More on this as they give me info.

Thursday

New thread. We have some pictures from the Eagle Delisting ceremony last week. Will try to post a couple today.

Update: Here's the guest eagle flying with Secretary Kempthorne, and a group of scouts watching the delisting order being signed.

July 4

Fireworks thread.

Monday

New thread. Another cool one here in CT.

Update:

I have gotten some questions regarding the status of the cam, the status of upgrades, etc. I'll tell you what I know.

First off, remember that this project is a labor of love for a number of people at NCTC. We all have full time jobs that do not include doing the eagle cam work, so we all do this as an extra. We have even had some comments from NCTC staff questioning why we are even doing the project to begin with. We have always pushed past those types of comments because we do see the great value in the project.

Those involved in the Cam work have met a couple of times recently on the upgrades for the cam. We have targeted the last week in July to try and get these upgrades installed. That assumes that we are able to get everything through the contracting process, which is detailed and time intensive. NCTC is a big place and many procurments are done every day. We can't just call a supplier and buy things, there's more to it than that and deliberate moves around the process can wind up with an Inspector General officer, with a badge, questioning you :>(. We all try to do this right to avoid such a result.

The current status of the cam is still unknown to me, since I am not at work. I suspect that because of the pending repairs and upgrades, we may keep it down until we can get everything right. More on that when I am back in S-Town.

One more thing, we continue to spar with security folks in DOI who consider the cam a threat to network security. We believe their stance is wrong, but have to play the game to ensure that we can continue to work the cam in the future.

So things are happening behind the scenes and I will update you when we know more. We need to hope that we will have a successful clutch next year so all this work pays off.

Sunday

It's bright and cool (45F) here in CT after raining all night.

New thread.

Saturday

Heading up to CT for a couple days. Will keep checkin in.

New thread.

Friday

New thread.

More News

Here's the latest on the eagle delisting from the Post.

Also, check out my Children and Nature Journal blog here, and if you like it, please spread the word.

Thursday

New thread.

DC Event

Got this email today. This is a public event for all folks interested in bald eagles.

"The Endangered Species Program invites you and your families to attend an event at the Jefferson Memorial on Thursday, June 28, 10 am, announcing the delisting and recovery of the bald eagle.

Secretary Kempthorne will make the announcement, followed by remarks from several key partnering organizations. From 10:30 to 12 noon, booths staffed by WO Service programs and other agencies/organizations including the National Park Service, National Wildlife Federation, Environmental Defense, American Eagle Foundation, and Earth Conservation Corps will offer family activities. In the event of rain, the event will be moved to the Yates Auditorium at Main Interior.

This remarkable achievement is the culmination of many years of hard work and cooperative efforts with private and public landowners, States, Tribes, non-government organizations, and industry. Now, it is time to celebrate."



Also, one our our Shepherdstown eagles is currently on the front page of the US Fish and Wildlife Service website. Check it out here--which one is it? In addition, download the video, which is a compilation of video shot mostly here at NCTC.

Wednesday

New thread. John is still assessing the damage to the cable.

Some more pics

Just got these pictures from my friend Mark. Shows a rather crappy pic of the eagle we saw and a shot of me and my friend Pete looking at eagle perched in a beach tree.