Aquila chrysaetos 2010-2022

Wild Bucovina wrote:Again today there was no sun at all and the battery was charged very little by the solar panels and therefore the flow was interrupted.

Hi, Thanks for the info. Yes, I saw from the weather forecast for the area that it is cloudy, with some rain. In a couple of hours, however, it looks like it will clear up with some sun. Hope it gives a lot of power to the batteries.

M-am întors LIVE din nou. De moment se anunță puțină lumină și sperăm că fluxul va funcționa.
I came back LIVE again. For a while, a little light is announced and we hope the stream will work.

2021-06-15.  our big golden eagle with a difference of only 20 days.

Wild Bucovina wrote:Raven,
Thanks a lot! These detailed studies confirm that the pair that was until 2018 is not the same as in 2020-2021. Very good observation. I don't think I would have noticed that.
I was very confused and I still have questions about what happened in 2017 and 2018, because the eagles did not hatch but also the suspected disappearance of the eagles in 2019.

You're welcome. It is always sad to lose friends, but on the bright side you will be able to watch the journey of this new young pair who are raising only a second eaglet. You have observed from the beginning of what must be their first territory together. The sudden disappearance of a mature pair does seem suspicious. Though there are a number of possibilities, and hopefully the reality was natural and not related to Homo sapiens.

Please let us know if you discover any clues, or have any further thoughts on what may have happened. If I can ever think up the right question to ask that might lead to a better understanding, you will be among the first to know. Alas, most of life must remain a mystery.

Today is another busy one for me, so I will be getting to the prey later. One thing. The brief visit from a parent at 18:04:47 who brought a decent sized bird to the nest was not Dad. Compare the tail feather damage from June 8th. Some of the fraying appears widened a bit due to angle or shifting of feather barbs, but it is pretty clearly a match. Mom in both screenshots.

June 8, 2021.



June 15, 2021. Grabbed this before I lost access to the stream. Might have been able to grab a sharper one if I was more focused. It works.



Minorly edited to correct for clarification.

Hi Raven, thanks for the posts. And thanks for the two pictures for comparison. June 8 and today. The tail feathers were like a fingerprint! It was mom both times. Case resolved! Thanks again, you are a great resource here.

Johan wrote:Hi Raven, thanks for the posts. And thanks for the two pictures for comparison. June 8 and today. The tail feathers were like a fingerprint! It was mom both times. Case resolved! Thanks again, you are a great resource here.

You're welcome, Johan. It is nice to be appreciated. <3 Which reminds me... I want to thank Stelian again too, for the forum if I hadn't already. Being able to show people one's work visually goes a long way toward promoting learning rather than conflict. In my experience.

I'm posting this old screenshot of a hooded crow (Corvus cornix) to remind folks of how small they are.



Mom drops off a bird.





Small, when compared to this hunk of meat that I must insist, based on size and feet, is a common raven (Corvus corax). Mind you the angle is completely different. We are staring into the chest cavity whilst Mom holds it all up by a well plucked wing. And she is holding it out in front of her. No similar angles were provided before devouring.



First, ravens are not small birds. According to my National Audubon Society Field Guide, these ravens are 21-27 inches (53.34-68.58 cm) in length, which overlaps with and is at times larger than an osprey (21-24 inches; 53.34-60.96 cm).

Ravens compared to hooded crows. Photo credit: mauribo



Compared to a golden eagle. Credit: Omar Brännström



The black-scaled feet of a large passerine. What passerine is so large but a raven?





Photograph of raven feet made by yours truly.



Once in chat I mentioned that I must have left my heart in the nest somewhere, and the eagles had surely gobbled it up. I imagine the scene looked something like this.



Before the raven feast, Mom also brought back a mammal. Check out the young star, immediately latching onto the prey with talons!



What is this mammalian prey? Could this be the well furred foot of a European hare (Lepus europaeus)? Or has my brain mapped a foot to what is not a foot, and it is yet another roe deer fawn (Capreolus capreolus)?

It should also be recorded how fast eaglet seemed to be growing up today. Much strong standing, some swallowing of more large bones, and attempts to tear at deer legs and raven carcass all by one's lonesome.

With proper feathers must come proper preening.





Down the hatch.



A fair attempt, but the hatch could not accept. Roe deer fawn leg.



Raven.



Corviliciously stuffed. Both enchanting and fierce, a winning combination.

Hi Raven. I have to thank you again for the nice and clear screenshots with explanatory texts. Ref. ravens- yes, they are big birds! And now you got it documented with pictures! Thanks! It's so interesting to see and read your posts.

Thank you everyone and especially Raven for all the great info provided. I’m sorry not to participate a lot, I’m very busy but I appreciate everything that makes us all know this beautiful pair of eagles

14:51 The mother brings prey to the nest a Sciurus vulgaris

15:16 The mother preys on the nest a chick of Sciurus vulgaris.

19:56:35 For the first time we can see both parents in the nest, the male bringing a bird in his beak.

@Raven, Thanks for the clarification, it really is a chicken of Sciurus vulgaris.

Anyone who enjoys what I share is most welcome. Thank you for the encouragement! Hopefully it is okay if I rehash the day.

The stream begins with what did turn out to be the remains of a European hare (Lepus europaeus) brought to the nest yesterday. We can see the fur-covered foot, and maybe the barest hint of claws. And there is new prey lying there, as Stelian helpfully shared with us, a Eurasian red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris).





The second new prey item is the young of a red squirrel, rather than a mustelid. For anyone still questioning this and wanting to mentally lock in the differences in anatomy, I will pull up a screenshot of the least weasel (Mustela nivalis) that was brought back to the nest on May 26th, and we can compare side by side. Aside from the differences in pelt coloration and length between limbs, compare the size of the legs in particular. Heel to toe on hind feet is notably longer too.





The tails of young red squirrels are rather weasel-like. Photo credit: lifeonwhite



And lastly the songbird prey of which Dad brought in his beak. Here is Mom bringing it close to the camera. Now... outside of the Family Corvidae, I am pretty shabby at identifying European songbirds. I *think* it might be a common blackbird (Turdus merula) with females slightly more drab, but maybe only because I lack a comprehensive guide of photographs as I have here on my desk for North American birds. Please let me know what you think, anyone.

Hi Raven, Thanks for the post.

I mean this is a Blackbird male. (Turdus merula) Yellow/orange beak=male. Black beak=female. Weak and narrow yellow/orange ring around the eyes, which appears in your photos. An adult Blackbird male should have charcoal black feathers, but here lighting can make fun of us I think. I'm going for a Blackbird male.

Thank you, Johan. Light can certainly play tricks. A Google image search is showing that many people have uploaded pictures of browner feathered blackbirds sporting yellow/orange beaks and calling them female. I do see some having dark beaks too. I'm used to finding mislabeled photographs galore, but there are many, many. Are they all mistaken? Do the juvenile males have yellow/orange beaks and a more female-colored cloak of feathers (I know this to be so in some species) perhaps? Is there a chance that different subspecies could contain females with yellow/orange beaks or maybe they could change color during breeding season? I am completely ignorant about these birds. Thanks for the help! And no pressure, ever. I can try to research it if you haven't the time.

When Mom turned her tail toward the camera on June 15th we got a view of not only the mature T1 pair, but it looked like maybe more mature feathers were present as well. Maybe. Folded tails can be deceptive. Around 3:08 pm on June 16th she left the nest in a way that gave us the barest glimpse of the top of her spread tail feathers, and then returned providing a glimpse of an underside view. The outermost feathers definitely have a white base. Will she molt and regrow these as mature feathers this year? Having had two eaglets, she must be close to doing so.





Eaglet was pretty funny with the lounging antics. From a new favorite spot on the nest.





And later with Mom.





When the living legend appeared with his gift. He is a lighter eagle, overall.



This row of light covert feathers along the right wing stand out the most.



How special it was seeing them all together. This seems to bode well. I would love for us to become more familiar with Father.

Raven wrote:Thank you, Johan. Light can certainly play tricks. A Google image search is showing that many people have uploaded pictures of browner feathered blackbirds sporting yellow/orange beaks and calling them female. I do see some having dark beaks too. I'm used to finding mislabeled photographs galore, but there are many, many. Are they all mistaken? Do the juvenile males have yellow/orange beaks and a more female-colored cloak of feathers (I know this to be so in some species) perhaps? Is there a chance that different subspecies could contain females with yellow/orange beaks or maybe they could change color during breeding season? I am completely ignorant about these birds. Thanks for the help! And no pressure, ever. I can try to research it if you haven't the time.

In my country Norway we only have one species of Blackbird (Turdus), but there are many species in the same family (87!) I read. Young blackbirds of both sexes have dark beaks (Norway). While only adult males here have yellow / orange beaks. In other species in the genus Turdus, the female may also have a yellow beak, I also read. Fun to read me up on what you write. Understand that you have great knowledge of biodiversity. I'm just an amateur with a nerdy interest in nature and especially birds.

Johan wrote:In my country Norway we only have one species of Blackbird (Turdus), but there are many species in the same family (87!) I read. Young blackbirds of both sexes have dark beaks (Norway). While only adult males here have yellow / orange beaks. In other species in the genus Turdus, the female may also have a yellow beak, I also read. Fun to read me up on what you write. Understand that you have great knowledge of biodiversity. I'm just an amateur with a nerdy interest in nature and especially birds.

Thank you, Johan. I'm merely a nature nerd too. If I'm feeling less self-deprecating, I might call myself a naturalist (tending toward the student definition) at best. I have no formal training, no professional credentials to my name. What I certainly have is more time than most, and perhaps the motivation to delve obsessively. Though these circumstances aren't due to privilege or something of a favorable nature. A bit too personal for the forum. I'll leave it at that.

Thank you, Raven, I'm glad you're here and give good and detailed considerations. I really appreciate your views on what we are experiencing here.

Slow prey day thus far. Let's look at some progress.
Hatch Day within the first week of May. We do not know the exact date, so let's stick it in the middle of the week to calculate... approximately. May 4th.

With a May 4th hatch date, week 2 would begin on the 18th. I only have a screenshot for the 20th. No matter.

Week 2.



Week 3. Begins May 25th. Screenshot made May 27th.



Week 4. June 1st.



Week 5. June 8th.



Week 6. Begins June 15th. Screenshot made June 17th.



Week 7. Begins June 22nd. Screenshot made June 23rd.



Week 8. Begins June 29th. Screenshot made June 30th.



Week 9. July 5th.



Week 10. July 12th.



Week 11. July 19th.

Last night I forgot to post this screenshot of Mom yawning toward the camera. She did so again tonight, so now I have a good excuse to share both.





Goodnight wild denizens of Bucovina.

Slim pickings on this day. Bright eyed, though hungry.





First, Papa Eagle arrived with a mouth-sized morsel of indeterminate identification. Eaglet plucked this from his beak and gobbled it up in one "bite". Do male golden eagles directly feed their offspring? Does being overwhelmed by hunger incarnate, too swiftly to drop anything into the nest, count? I think the jury is still out.

There is something else to make note of. Dad's tail feathers. The outer feathers are well marbled on the right side. We noticed a fair amount of marbling when he lifted his tail last, but there was at least one white-based feather toward the center left over. Not sure if one can see it in this screenshot or if the smudge is something else. Either way, Father appears to be slightly older than Mother.





The previous evening, Mom had been eagerly tearing at old bones in the nest, hungry. At least today she arrived at the aerie with a full crop. Poppy and I pondered whether there might be a large carcass somewhere from which she had scavenged. Something that was perhaps too large to return to her eaglet with. Would carrying small chunks of meat back and forth be a depleting waste on her own energy when distance is factored in? We can't know. Maybe the prey pierced by her talons was a manageable weight, but she devoured it in a ravenous state. Maybe she needed all of the nutrition she consumed. We can't know. Her eaglet was plenty hungry when she arrived, and Mom seemed to take adequate note of this and soon left again.



Four hours later she reappears with what may have been a nestling songbird in her talons. Eaglet was so eager that s/he ripped its leg off before Mom could even release it. Here it glows in the sunlight.



It is difficult to see, but the paltry passerine appears to bear the rictal flanges of a nestling. Yellowish lips.



I'm not worthy enough to identify this one. Help, please. :> Regardless, it too went down the hatch in one go.



Soon Dad alighted at the nest with another treat! A scrap of meat. Two solid appearances in one day, aren't we spoiled?



Hunger incarnate overwhelmed him yet again. After an evasive side-step to the nest edge, the offering was snatched from his beak.





This is all we saw the eaglet eat today. Some hours later, still hungry and then dampened by rain, Mom snuggled close to make it all better. The young one trilled in contentment. Tomorrow is another day.



Goodnight once more, dear Bucovina, and all who dwell within.