Tuesday August 22

Tuesday Thread.

Monday August 21

Fresh thread for the new week.

Sunday August 20

New thread. Finally got into blogger, it's been boogered up all morning.

Friday 18 August

I love Friday thread.

Thursday August 17

New Thread.

Wednesday August 16

From a local eagle watcher this am:


"I’ve been watching the Eaglets since they were eggs and blog on your blog all the time.

I have a question. Yesterday driving home about 1:30-1:45 PM, I-495 North was at a standstill going over the Potomac from VA into MD. (Nothing new.) In any case, I saw 3 Eaglets just circling around, very slowly, over the river, just sort of gliding. I got a good look at them, and do believe they were eaglets. They had their wings out, end wing feathers looked like fingers, and their tails were spread out like a fan. They were all black, large birds. Quite awesome to watch, actually. (The one time in my daily commute I DIDN’T want the traffic to start going again!) Anyway, could they be our Eaglets? Well, I mean the NCTC Eaglets. Would they be that far from Shepherdstown? They were circling around the bridge and the Potomac, but they don’t have to go that far for food, the Potomac is near their nest, isn’t it?

Thanks in advance for your response. Even if it wasn’t the NCTC eaglets, it was awesome to watch them. They’re SOMEBODY’S eaglets, and since there were 3 I just thought they were ours."

I told her it could well be the Shepherdstown eaglets. They will continue to move out away from the Shepherdstown nest territory.

Tuesday August 15

Fresh Tuesday thread.

Monday 14 August

New Thread.

Sunday August 13

New thread. Beautiful morning.

Saturday Morning August 12

CHilly Morning Thread. Up in CT--it's 42 degrees.

Thursday August 10

Rainy morning thread.

Wednesday August 9

A bright wednesday morning new thread.

Tuesday August 8

Fresh Thread.

Monday August 7

Good Morning. New Thread.

Sunday August 6

New thread.

Saturday Night August 5

Wow, back from CT and over 1000 comments on last post.

Fresh thread.

Thursday August 3

Fresh thread.

Wednesday August 2

Hot enough for you thread.

Tuesday August 1

New Thread. Up here in CT in the heat...

Monday 31 July

Late night new thread, out of the office this week...

Sunday 30 July

Sunday thread. Enjoy.

Friday July 28

New Thread.

Thursday July 27

Cam Update--The guys did extensive additional testing today and have determined that the problem is in fact up the tree. This is not good news. They are planning to try to get up the tree next week. We'll see how things progress. Not the way we wanted things to end for the season, but we are optimistic that we'll have an improved system next year based on everything we have learned this year. More as I learn it.

Wednesday July 26

New Thread.

update: I'm waiting for a call back now on status, but I have to teach a class for the next few hours. be back.

ps check out this incredible site-- McNeil River Alaska Grizzly Cam.

Tuesday July 25

New thread.

Still waiting for word. Our IT dept. is short staffed this week...

Update: 2:50 Still no luck, but our guys have been trying to diagnose the problem for most of the day. I'm afariad the problem could be up the tree, and if so, we may be up a creek...

Monday July 24

Update and plans as we go forward, and there are two scenarios:

Scenario One-- we are working on the fix for the current still cam issues. The problem is a battery in the system that may need to be replaced. If we can do the fix easily without buying a replacement, the cam should be back up soon.

The cam would be then shut down on August 1 for maintenance and off season adjustments. Steve thinks the fledged eaglets will be off on their own around that date, so it's a good time to take a break. As you all have noticed, the cam has been down a bunch in the last month or two, indicating the need that we do some real work on it. Also, our contract for the live cam ended last week, thus the live cam is now down as well until next season.

Scenario Two: We can't easily fix the cam without ordering replacements parts, and this results in us shutting things down this week.

Regardless of which scenario plays out, the plan would be to keep the cam down until sometime in November when the adults begin working at the nest again.

We are intrigued by ideas to add audio, and we would like to pursue that and other ideas.

I want to thank our technical team for really doing all of the work and having the inspiration to get this project going--John, Jonathan, Mike, Brad, and Keith should all be saluted for what they accomplished--this was their baby. Our biological staff also had a big part--thanks Karen and Steve. Thanks to Randy Robinson for researching a live cam solution and making it happen, also thanks to our Production folks who helped.

Finally, thanks for your your continued enthusiasm and support of this project, it went beyond our wildest expectations. We do look forward to working with you as we continue this project into the future.

I didn't want to just see the cam shut down with little notice, so I wanted to get with you in advance to tell you all what's up. I hope we can get it back up for the next week. We'll keep you posted on progress.

Steve C.

Sunday 23 July

New thread and another very cool non-eagle wildlife shot.

Saturday Night 22 July

Just got back to a computer...new thread.

Wednesday 19 July

New thread for another HOT day.

Messages Received

Thanks to all for your support and kind comments. We plan on starting the cams all over again next nesting season. While there is a small chance the adults would move on, that is unlikely--they will probably be with this nest for many years. As far as I know we will keep the still cam on. If it shuts down for a time I will let you know.

It is truly amazing that the three eaglets fledged and are all still around several weeks later. These birds have beaten tremendous odds. We have all observed and experienced a rare event in the natural history of bald eagles.

We'll keep the blog on and rolling, and we'll all be ready when the action starts again at the end of the year.

Tuesday 18 July

Another hot one out there.

So where are we?

We have been talking here about the end of the season activities that we are seeing right now. While the nest is still gettin g an occasional visit, I'm sure folks have noticed that most of the time the eagles are out and about. Within the next few weeks, the young eagles will move on, leaving the adults to stay.

Soon the live feed will be shut off due to the end of our contract with our partners in Wheeling. We will work again in the late fall to bring the live feed back on.

The actual nest cam we will leave on for now.

I'm also happy to continue to keep the blog rolling through the hext nesting season if folks prefer.

Monday part 2

Travels note:

Our resident eagle expert Steve Wunderley told me he saw a immature bald eagle soaring over his house this last weekend. Eagle eye Steve lives in Falling Waters (seven miles upriver), so he says the likelihood it was one of our eagles is high.

Monday 17 July

New thread for a very warm day.

Sunday 16 July

A bright sunday morning thread.

Saturday 2

Saturday 15 July

New Thread.

Friday July 14

Friday Thread.

thursday July 13

new thread. In DC today...

Wednesday July 12

Wednesday Thread. Checking on the live cam.

Update 1:28 pm: Live cam is up.

Tuesday July 11

We're up.

Fresh "video is live" thread.

Monday July 10

The cam problem is in Denver. We have let them know.

Fresh thread.

Update 3:55 PM: Looks like the problem is centered around the camera and or the batteries. Our folks are working on it. Hang in there.

Sunday July 9

New Thread. Anyone see anything?

Saturday July 8

New thread.

Friday PM Visitor

Friday 7 July

Saw two in the nest at 8:30, but didn't have a chance to pull a photo. Fresh Thread.

Someone's Back

July 6 Part 2

Here's a link to Todd Harless' latest photos.

Thursday July 6

New thread.

Wednesday July 5

Empty nest thread.

July 4

Fireworks Thread.

Monday July 3

New Thread.

Great Phots by Todd

Check out Todd's photo album, if you haven't already.

Sunday July 2

I don't know what's worse, a blue screen or a frozen screen. There will be folks working at NCTC tomorrow.

New thread.

July 1 Saturday

New Thread.

Another Shot, Two in one.

This is a real picture, or as Todd put it to me, no photoshop voodoo.

Thanks Todd!

New Todd Photos

Here's two great shots from Todd Harless, taken this AM. Probably the first shot of one of the young eagles in flight. Yahoo.

Friday Morning part 2

Friday June 30

Crisp morning, empty nest.

Late Afternoon

New thread. Not much action right now. The T-storms are staying south of us.

Thursday June 29

Lots of rain last night again. Clear this AM, but very warm.

Afternoon

Afternoon thread.

Sunny Wednesday 28 June

Time to dry out here after alot of rain. Here's another entry from Bent on eagle plumage:

"In fresh juvenal plumage the young eagle is uniformly dark colored "bone brown" to "clove brown" above and below; the flight feathers are nearly black, but there is usually a slight sprinkling of grayish white in the tail. This plumage is worn throughout the first year without much change, except by wear and fading, the under parts fading to "hair brown." After the first annual molt, the next summer, the plumage becomes paler and much mixed with white in very variable amounts. Individual feathers on the back, scapulars, and breast are more or less extensively white, those of the breast and belly being largely white in some specimens. I am not sure whether this is a second or third year plumage, or both; if the latter, the third year is whiter than the second. The tail is more extensively mottled with white than in the first year, and the feathers of the crown and occiput are broadly tipped with pale buff.

After the next annual molt the plumage of the body becomes darker, much like that of the adult, but lightly tipped with white below and mottled with white on the rump and upper tail coverts; the latter and the tail are now quite extensively white; the head is mixed with white above, about half white and half brown, or nearly clear, dirty white below. This is probably the third year plumage. At the next annual molt, early in the fourth year, the bird assumes a plumage that is practically adult, with a pure-white head and tail; but usually remaining signs of immaturity are seen, such as a few brown feathers in the head and some dusky mottling near the tip of the tail. The length of time required to assume the fully adult plumage does not seem to have been positively determined, and it may take longer than I have estimated.

Adults and immature birds have one complete annual molt, which is very gradual, and prolonged through spring, summer, and fall. The flight feathers are molted mainly during July, August, and September."

Raining Cats and Dogs

Tuesday June 27

Looks like they have been staying closer to home. More rain forecasted today.

All There

Here's all three kids. Plus, note the oval shaped object in the lower part of the nest--a turtle shell (box turtle?) which probably arrived on Saturday.

Monday PM

There were two there a minute ago, no only one. Thanks to John for figuring out the problem.

Monday 26 June

New Thread. I am at NCTC and will work to unlock things.

Locked Up Sunday June 25

Just had a chance to look at the cam and I see that it's locked at 9:55. Sorry.

Saturday Night's Alright for Eagles

Saturday June 24

New thread.

Two out of three

Tech Update Friday PM

OK.

We got the live feed up, and someone is in the nest right now as I write! The still cam is locked up in Denver, and we have made a call on that. Hang in there folks!

Friday June 23

I know it's still empty, but I swung by the nest on my way in and one of our young eagle friends was perched on a limb just behind and below the camera.

Empty Nest Blues

Thursday June 23

New thread. Big thunderstorm just rolled through.

Another Shot

Update 22 June

Snip...Just realized that this picture was messed up, that's how crazy it's been here the past few days...Snip

Wednesday June 21

Hi Folks, really hectic days here. Got with Todd, he took the picture posted a few days ago around 9:00am on June 11.

Tuesday 20 June

New thread.

Folks have mentioned to me that our own eagle expert Steve Wunderley was on Channel 25 out of Hagerstown this AM talking about the eagles. Go Steve.

Part 3

All three home.

Part 2

Here's a shot of one of the young eagles away from the nest, snapped by Todd Harless at NCTC.

Monday June 19

John is working on the problem and will hopefully have it solved this PM.

Sunday Blue Screen Blues

Sorry about the blue screen. I suspect it may be the same problem as last time, where the microwave channels have been messed up.

There was an extended, planned power outage at NCTC yesterday, I believe, and that may have contributed to the problem.

Thursday June 15

Wow, can't believe the action on the comments. I'm up in CT with family issues (mom coming home from hospital). I need to catch up.

Wednesday June 14

From a post by Sharon at 6:41 this am:

6:41 a.m. He is at the lauching pad. Been moving his wings a little bit, trying to get up the courage. Just back over to 9 o'clock and did a little poop shoot and then back to the lauching pad. Lightened that load a little bit! Oh my God, he just spread his wings out, he has the look. Nope, folded them back in! Doing a lot of flapping all over the nest. Back at the launching pad, looking around. Just moved a little closer to the edge. He wants to really bad! He is so close to the edge, his head gets out of camera range sometimes. He keeps spreading his wings out like he is going to and then back in. It is 6:50 now. A little head bopping going on. Camera freezing up a little bit. Wings back out. Now back in but head still bobbing. My heart is racing. Head keeps going out of view. 6:56 a.m. Wings back out. 6:58 a.m. SPUNKY HAS FLEDGED!!!

Evening Picture

A Diversion

I know that we talk eagles here, but I just saw this astonishing photograph on the Patagonia Website and had to share it. Please indulge me.

The photo caption reads:

A school of salema cut a wide berth for a Galapagos sea lion. Cousins Rock, Galapagos Islands, Equador. Photo: David Doubilet

Seeing our eagles are fledging , maybe need to get a little wildlife variety going here...

Tuesday Part 2

We're still waiting for something to happen and the eaglet is sleeping. Guess we're on his/her time.

Tuesday 13 June

Fresh thread, more later.

Monday 12 June Midday

Monday June 12

Good Morning. Here's a fresh thread for you.

I'm working to get the live feed up soon.

Also, As I walked in this morning the closed circuit monitor had all three of the eaglets hopping around in the nest.

more soon.

Part 2

Which one is visiting?

Sunday June 11

A bright crisp day. Will the third one fly?

Saturday June 10

And so he/she waits to soar.

Friday #2

Live cam up.

Friday--June 9th The Home Stretch

Here's our last eaglet, looking at its sibling who just fledged, at around 9:00 AM.

more soon.

Thursday June 8

It was a big day yesterday, and thanks to all who kept me up to speed while I was battling the traffic of DC.

I'm out of the office again today, but will check in a the office to see if we can get any additional info about the fledgling or the other two.

Tuesday Picture 6 June

Tuesday 6 June

Acouple of snapshots of the recent eagle watching visit. Top shot is of our own Jo from MD.

More later.

Monday June 5

Lots of activity today and some speculation here that the oldest could have fledged or may fledge soon. More when we know more.

Update: 11:20 had a good visit with some guests from the blog. Our concensus right now is that none of the eaglets has fledged yet. Thanks everyone for coming, we'll post a few pictures soon.

Sunday June 4

A beautiful Sunday morning in WV.