Aquila chrysaetos 2010-2022

Dad carries the 7th roe deer fawn (Capreolus capreolus) to the nest. This is his first time delivering such large prey.





Talon deliveries are the least risky, and thus Dad isn't immediately intimidated off the nest.





Zenit makes fair progress tearing flesh from the prey.



S/he eats a fair amount before Mom arrives to help.







Mom properly stuffs Zenit to bursting, mostly beyond view with the eaglet acting as a curtain cast over our show. Zenit tries to escape to the far end of the nest. No more, Mom.



We have a decent view of Zenit's crop as Mom feeds herself. She closes her nictitating membrane to protect her eyes whilst tearing.





A second leg is fetched.



Seven whole minutes have passed. Definitely more room now!





The tendon tearing power of Mom.





How does a golden eagle swallow a bone?







Big Beautiful Bird.



Off she goes, kiddo.







She returns an hour and forty seven minutes later with another common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus).  



Zenit mantles in efficient beauty.







Not a feather is plucked from the kestrel, however. Zenit is simply not hungry enough to bother.



By the time Mom returns it is dark, and not much can be gleaned about this individual kestrel.



We can barely distinguish its face, here.



The breast feathers are pretty well plucked at the far end of the nest, by the time Mom brings it back toward the lens we can't tell if the breast feathers had well-defined streaking or were a little more blotchy. Might we infer that hunting was done within a single kestrel pair's territory, and that this second bird must have thus been a mate or a fledgling? It is possible.



Either way these are ancient relationships that shape ecosystem structure. It is the natural role of the apex predator to also prey upon mesopredators. Fret not, this is the way of nature. The pressures that mesopredators exert upon their own prey may then be lessened, which may in turn provide more prey for other species in turn. Apex predators at the top naturally have smaller populations and densities than their prey. Golden eagles keep large territories and limit other golden eagles.

We as humans currently live privileged lives beyond these systems. We are not so limited and most of us are not self limiting. Therefore the impacts we exert can be terribly destructive, and can never be compared to natural predation by a native predator who still lives by strict checks and balances within an ecosystem. All of these species have helped to shape each other through these trophic interactions and others. One cannot truly love the prey and hate the predator, nor vice versa. For neither would be precisely what they are without the other.

The golden eagle is the hunt. This is what they are. It is okay to celebrate this. The raw, fierce beauty of nature uncensored.

Hi! Astăzi este o zi fara soare de aceea avem probleme cu energia din baterie iar camera video nu functionează. / Today is a day without sun so we have problems with battery power and the camcorder does not work.

Managed to swoop up a few screens for a quick fix. :>

A room with a view.



The flies have put on an entertaining performance today.





Sunlight kisses a glorious new crown of feathers. These contrast with a dark cloak even at this age, but it won't be until the third year when the crown and nape develop the striking elongated golden feathering from which this species gets its English name.



Zenit and the Norway spruce cone. Practicing the art of the hunt and good talonsmanship (note to translators: improvised play on swordsmanship).











Gathered together with nest-friends: spruce cone, deer hoof, and kestrel feather. ;>







Talon flex.



An upset common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) can be heard off and on circling the eyrie over the course of some hours. On a personal level for this kestrel, the animosity has likely been well earned, given the history of recent prey brought to the nest. Zenit tracks the action.







Stretch. Surely Zenit could touch both edges of the nest with outstretched wings now?



And a yawn. We can also see a new white-based feather that will mark youth for several years to come.



A parent flies by.



Useful image for monitoring feather growth. If Zenit hatched May 1-4th, s/he is 9 weeks old.



Another approach.



It is Mom. She is empty-taloned.



Her crop is full, and it appears that she may have an injury to her cere. It could simply be blood from prey, but there is a quality to it that leaves me uncertain.
We will have to wait until tomorrow for hopefully a better look.



Another parental approach lacking an appearance.



When Mom does appear she is carrying a hunk of meat in her beak. Something Dad usually does. Dad tends to switch it up. Mom has more consistently delivered food in her talons.
In the commotion it is dropped.







An appetizer. A boneless, featherless, furless, pure meaty goodness one. As filling as an appetizer can be.





Eagle Dance.





Mom again, briefly, with nothing. Zenit's screeching demands send her off as if she forgot something important. Oh, right!





Nice light.



More dancing.



More empty Mom feet.



Plop.



Food!?



...

Thanks again Raven for your very interesting posts with screenshots. Especially with your good explanations about GE plumage. All considerations with explanations are commendable. Informative.

Thank you again, Johan. I might have the energy to add more educational material into these if it didn't take so much time, honestly. Pretty tired today too.
And I've only been getting more and more carried away with the amount of screenshots I've been making. This post might hit a record. Not sure.

♪ Why do birds suddenly appear
Every time you are near? ♪



♪ Why do stars fall down from the sky
Every time you walk by? ♪



♪ On the day that you were born the angels got together
And decided to create a dream come true
So they sprinkled moon dust in your hair of gold and starlight in your eyes of blue ♪









The hunter awakened. Talons vs. Hoof.









Zenit leaps that way.



Zenit leaps this way.



Zenit successfully snatches meat straight from Mom's beak!









Dad's turn.



Success.





Tail preen.





Dad again. This time the meat is lost. It is, perhaps, too small of a morsel.
Do make note of the dark covert surrounded by lighter feathering on the wing. Second image. This is a good identifier for the time being.





A fair amount of strong wing exercising has taken place today.





Mom.



Success.



A fair amount of perching on these branches has also been of note. A new behavior. The skies will be calling Zenit away from the lens and into our dreams.



Dad brings a shred of hide fully stripped of meat.



Zenit is not enthused. In fact, s/he keeps picking this up and placing it closer and closer to the edge of the nest. the last time we see it, it is placed out of view near the camera.



Snooze.





Mom. She arrives with a chunk of meat in her talons, and a small morsel of meat in her beak.





A ravenous hunger gnaws at Zenit.







The interim.













Father eagle successfully delivers. We've had seven deliveries today.
Mom has delivered thrice, and successfully fed Zenit each time. Dad has made four deliveries, and successfully fed Zenit twice.





A beautiful sundown. Our two fiery stars inspire another song from vocal depths (Bonus lore: Ravens are the largest of the songbirds).

♪ I don't want to set the world on fire
I just want to start a flame in your heart ♪



Goodnight Bucovina. Until next time. Same Eagle-Time, same Eagle-Channel.

thank you for another great post, Raven!

You're welcome, cazigg. Thank you!

Bonus Screenshot Activated

Raven, your posts are brilliant! Thank you.

A kindness! You're welcome, and thank you.

Anna Oz has unlocked Zenit Secret Power: GUARDIAN OF THE CARPATHIANS In the wind you feel the beating of great wings.



;>

Papa Eagle, he arrives with a splintered bone. As soon as he hits the nest it flies out of his mouth, making the exchange easier on himself and young Zenit.



Wings are mantled as is their way. One can only possess something for as long as it can be physically claimed among the wild ones. Everything is up for grabs.
Aside from competition with each other, golden eagles must contend with other predators and scavengers whom they will cross paths with over carrion.
Mantling will do no good against a gray wolf nor a brown bear, but this fierce possessiveness is a necessary part of every golden eagle's innate nature.



Zenit is able to shred and tear meager scraps from this bone.



It was a sizable bone and is broken in such a way that would be impossible for a golden eagle to do. If there are no roads nearby, and if this fracture did not occur from a fall or some freak accident, we might infer that Zenit's parents were themselves contending with other predators at a kill site. Perhaps this explains the frightened barks of roe deer which we've heard in recent days. Off-camera, the eaglet manages to swallow this bone and its nourishing marrow, minerals, and vitamins.



Yaawnn.



Mama.



Empty talons. One of Zenit's least favorite things.





She makes quite the entrance when she reappears. Zenit strikes out with a slash that is absorbed by her breast feathers.



Empty.



Talons.



Mom loops around back to the center of her eyrie, and her world. Zenit does the best s/he knows how to solicit food by lowering the head and vocalizing incessantly.



Another waiting game.





DAD. His talons are not empty. They are full of MEAT.











This and the bone are all Zenit is given, all the day long. Zenit makes the best of it.



The winds are enticing.



Zenit goes to perch for a time.



Plays with a feather.



Is charming, ever charming.

















Empty talons.



Bloody, empty talons. Mom crosses the nest in a couple steps. Leaves as soon as she arrives. She is doing her best.
Eagles do not have tools to carve meat into conveniently sized chunks, nor time to spare at ephemeral carcasses likely in high demand among many forest denizens.



Zenit watches her go. Beyond the nest.



The winds entice again. Beyond the nest, Zenit.



Beyond.





Zenit contains a singularity that can never be filled.



It happens so fast. Mom alights in the nest. Hunger-crazed, the eaglet latches onto one of her feet, possibly embedding a talon or two.





Mom manages to pull her foot up and away in time for Zenit to temporarily latch onto the other.





She moves to employ her new evasive looping maneuver.







Raising eaglets isn't easy. Mom peers down toward her talons. Perhaps they smart a little.



Outward from the eyrie, shrieking cries ! !









Mother checks on her eaglet one last time in the fading light.

Howdy! I couldn't talk yesterday, but last night I was able to read some comments. As for the food source that the baby's parents bring, I think maybe a deer hunted by wolves or a cow from the sheepfold, hunted by a bear, this often happens.
Yesterday at 8:34:35 when Papa Eagle brings that bone, as you can see that bone is broken at one end, this can only be done by a bear or a wolf. That bone appears to be a femur or tibia of Capreolus capreolus

DAY OF THE HARE

...Preen, preeen, preen...



Mama Eagle alights in the nest, but she seems distracted. "Empty talons!" shrieks Zenit.
Mom looks wild eyed toward the skies as the common kestrel alarms overhead. Kestrel has been doing so for at least several days now.
Did I just not notice before kestrel was on the menu?



Mom leaves and Papa arrives a mere seven minutes later.



Full talons are Zenit's favorite talons, and these talons are clutching the mostly skeletal remains of a European hare (Lepus europaeus).
The fourth hare brought to the nest, IF we do not count a detached ear, and two possible leverets (these may have been rabbits).



Exit Stage Left.



No mistakenly latching onto feet this round. This is the real deal. The hare is all for Zenit. No one can take it.



This time, the trouble isn't that the hare's pajamas haven't been unzipped, but that they have, and someone has removed most of the hare already. The hare that is left is stuck fast to its bones.
A fore paw points to the moon.



Halp.



Zenit calls to the heavens. No response.



Maybe Zenit just needs the right angle.



Maybe if Zenit perches on top of it.



*dragging and shuffling sounds*



...







Briefly Mom appears, but she does not stay, does not help. During this interaction she was vocalizing softly whilst glancing up into the canopy, as if speaking with her mate.
It probably didn't help that Zenit climbed up onto the carcass as if not yet willing to share.



Twenty minutes later, Dad with a gift. He must make another pass, however.



Here we go.



Over here, child.



Zenit successfully takes the clump of meat, and gobbles it up.



Thirty three minutes later: Mama.



Zenit very hungry, Mama.



Whilst Mom is attending to her eaglet, we get the first decent look at her cere which we suspected might have been injured on July 5th. It still appears that it may have been.
When we first saw this possible injury she had returned to the nest empty-taloned with a large crop. It could be a hunting injury.



She is unfazed and goes on feeding her eaglet as normal.



An assessment.



Zenit can help.











Over here?





Hmm.



Maybe back over this way.



Then around here.



Nice spot, this. Zenit lowers the profile. Still little, Mom. Feed Zenit.







This hare processing business is tough work, and it is warm outside. Mom can frequently be seen panting.
In the background Zenit struggles for a while to swallow a rib bone, but s/he shows dogged determination and eventually succeeds.



Now we return to our regular program. Feeding Zenit.











Little...



...bits of...



meat.





Heyy! That's Mom's tongue! Yowch!!



No worries, folks. Her tongue survives unscathed.



Those rectrices are growing in nicely.





Another stirring wind.

A note on fledgling as we are drawing near. In the published literature it mentions that freshly fledged golden eagles commonly spend several days on the ground as they generally lack the strength of sustained powered flight. This, despite the risk from terrestrial predators. Aggressive displays by the youths and defensive parental behavior often keep them alive. Tree nesters will begin perching in trees within three weeks post fledging, and flight skills improve quickly within the first month. Beyond this they become efficient fliers.



Those initial flights, however, are often unstable glides, with legs dangling, loudly vocalizing, and landings with a crash.



Stand tall, dear Zenit.







Fly.



Wait! Maybe not yet! ...Phew. Close.



Tonight, there appears to be a fiery heart in the sky. Can you see it? One half: Fir of the Eyrie, other half: Zenit.



Magic.

Hi again Raven. Just one thing to say about what you are posting in the forum; Fantastic! So detailed screenshots + comments make it an exciting experience to watch/read. Fun too! Glad you made this a bonus experience! Thank you so much!

Hi, Johan. Pleased that it is enjoyable. You are very welcome!
Hoping I can keep it up until fledging, and/or any possible re-visits to the eyrie.
Knock, knock. On wood, for luck, that is. Rather than the vocalization accompanying a female northern raven's power display. ;>>

*magical sounds commence*

BONUS SCREENSHOT ACTIVATED

Under the eyrie canopy, in the early morning dappled light, She-of-the-Empty-Talons appears before her sole and most precious eaglet.

There is much that goes unconsidered in the world of feast or famine. We know that eagle parents must keep themselves fit and healthy in order to continue to be successful hunters, providers for their young. They would and should never pass up a large meal that might be difficult or impossible to divide and transfer to a distant nest. Especially among the hungry fangs, claws, beaks, and talons of competitors. For no meal is guaranteed, and to pass up on a meal could mean starvation when fortunes shift. Which they frequently do. To eat a large meal is to have a large crop. Is to be heavier. Is to be... full. One cannot carry a European hare nor a roe deer fawn up to the heights of an eagle nest in a fir tree without first removing enough meat to lighten the load. What practical things might we fail to consider with our humanocentric perspectives?

Collopy (1983) reported a 20% hunting success rate for golden eagles hunting small mammals in Idaho (23 successful  hunts  out of 115 capture  attempts), and a similar study in Sweden (Tjernberg 1986) found a success rate of 21%. In Wyoming, these eagles enjoy a 50% success rate when preying upon pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) during winter. Pronghorn cannot swiftly escape into burrows, are exposed, and may have difficulty evading when snow carpets the earth. This is not easy data to obtain or we might have more to draw from.

Collopy also found that capture success rates of males were nearly twice that of females (23% vs. 12%), but that this difference was not statistically significant. He does note that this could have been due to a small sample size, and it thus needs more study. If this holds up in a more complete study, it could be that male golden eagles are more efficient hunters due to their smaller size.

For more information on what may be driving reversed sexual size dimorphism in raptors, please read: Size and Sex in Raptors (link)



As always, Zenit solicits food with lowered head and incessant piercing cries. And Mother flies off.



There is yawning.



There is crop dropping, for the hopeful absorption of any nutrients remaining. On the level of Zenit's personal experience, to lessen hunger's bite.





And there is plenty of this. <3



Sunlight shines directly upon Zenit's ailing orbit. The cornea itself looks mostly unmarred.



A couple hours later, She-of-the-Gifted-Talons delivers a small songbird.



No kleptoparasites will get past Zenit. Neither raven, nor fellow eagle.







Let's have a look. We may need to squint. Here we can see the head and open beak. It is dark with a yellowish base.





Zenit displays a technique we've observed Mom employ to tear even the toughest of tendons.



The prey has pale legs and feet. They hang down from either side of Zenit's mouth as s/he struggles to devour it.



In this image, Zenit is delicately holding up what is left of the songbird's wing. We can see the underside, and more importantly, the speckled breast of what may be another song thrush (Turdus philomelos).



It is gone. Into aquiline depths.



Hunger.



Flop.



Flap!



...zZzzZz...















A parent glides overhead. Do they alight in the fir? We do not know. They do not visit with Zenit.





Mom approaches from the distance. Landing gear down. She's coming in hot!



Talons out! Empty talons out.





Greetings and solicitations.





Solitude returns.



Eagle Dance, Wind Dance. Zenit flirts with this edge of the nest for another day in a row. Perhaps this is the side from which fledging will occur.
Usually this departure involves both intentional leaping out of the nest, but also by being blown out whilst flapping.

The average age for fledging is 64 days (as per a study out of southwestern Idaho). Half fledged by 65 days and nearly 75% fledged by day 70. If we assume a hatch date right in the middle of the first week of May, Zenit would be 67 days old. Post fledging, and following dispersal from parental care, juveniles may journey progressively far from their natal territories, with several studies discovering that females typically travel the farthest. However, a study out of North Dakota found no difference in travel distance between the sexes. How much of the timing and variables in golden eagle life ways might be dependent upon location? One of many questions on my mind.

A more certain data point is that Golden eagles seek territories with low human disturbance and abundant prey. Small mammalian prey experience "boom" and "bust" years. This depends upon the availability of vegetation (food and shelter), which is itself effected by the amount of precipitation. As John Muir once noted, "When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe." Goldens also reproduce every other year, on average, depending on this prey availability and weather. Not breeding every year probably further aids in maintaining access to enough prey. When hunting success rates hover around 20%, it is integral to have a large enough pool to draw from.





The skies hold promise, Zenit.

Delayed today. Had a veterinarian appointment for an old feline companion right smack dab within the time allotted for posting. Not the best news. Further, another full days wandering will keep me tomorrow. Thus no promises can be made.

Planing for recovery on Sunday if I don't surprise myself prior. Be well, fellow nestwatchers.

May a full crop close to bursting greet us on the other side.

Hi Raven. Thank you for your informative updates. I look forward to them every day. I'm sorry to hear of your cat, I hope it all works out. Have a good day.

You're welcome as ever, Anna Oz. My thanks for the well wishes.
All my best.

New Unlock: Blast from the Past

2021-07-10

night camera

spoiler:

Woke up at 4 am on Saturday morning, and am glad I did or we wouldn't have screenshots to play with. Phew, success. Long day. Good day.

Good morning, Zenit.



Presumably, Mom brought this sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) foliage. A species allied with forests of Abies spp., Fagus spp., and Betula spp. throughout its native range.



After play time, Zenit plops down atop the cool, green leaves.



The feather tract from which the rectrices (tail feathers) grow is called the caudal tract. The remiges (flight feathers) grow from the alar tract.



Sycamore leaves draw the eye once more.





Here comes Papa Eagle. He comes through Big for Zenit with a substantial meal. There is no telling which species it belonged to, however.





Mom makes a brief check in whilst her eaglet is still mantling.







It doesn't seem to be a large species. Organs are removed from a body cavity, and it is fairly easy for Zenit to tear apart. As birds have been.







This is the only part that gave Zenit any trouble. S/he tried to swallow it whole, but ultimately failed. It had to come back out.











Fur or shredded feathers? Mmm. We've seen some pretty tattered and frayed feathers in this nest. Can't be sure.





Zenit's crop after self-feeding. What a beautiful sight!



Pretty stuffed.



Going to have a wee lie down.











Zenit and the Silver Fir (Abies alba) of the Eyrie. How often do golden eagles choose this species for nesting in the region, I wonder.







Mom arrives to help feed the final portion.











Yesterday, it was Mom's tongue, today Zenit has accidentally latched onto her lower mandible.



Mom was attempting to swallow this bone when Zenit figured s/he 'd rather have it more. Ultimately, Mom regained possession and swallowed it without fanfare.



After the meal, her eaglet still sounded famished despite the conspicuously prominent crop. They poked about the nest for old scraps until Mom left.









When Mom returned yet again later, it was round two for scrap searching. The skeletal hare was given some attention, but nothing appetizing remained.











Zenit pulls the hare back off the shelf. Hunting practice.

















And, thanks to Lady Hawk for the timestamp on this interesting behavior. Asynchronous blinking in the middle of the night.

Alright, fellow perchers, nestwatchers. Life is happening with all of its distractions, from trials to treasures, and so I must disengage a little more than I would like.
I did see this coming, but hoped it could be pushed back until fledging. What I'm going to attempt to maintain is a daily collection of screenshots, sans most commentary.
Sorry to disappoint. If I can do otherwise, I will.





Zenit finds some nest... fluff. It is dismantled. Fuzzy things sometimes have meat hidden in the middle, after all.









Skeletal hare hunting games.

























A parent could be seen gliding way, way up. They did not land.

















Spirited activity at the nest. Leaping about, wing exercising, hunting practice with various imaginary nest friends, tugging at sticks. Plenty of antics.









Mom comes through with a leporid. We can briefly see her characteristic subadult flight feathers in the right wing.







Even if the legs and feet had been missing, we would be able to distinguish that this was the ear of a rabbit or hare by the fringe of fur on the upper inner ear where it curls over.



Mom returns to aid with feeding.









Sun-eater. The singularity in Zenit's belly could surely devour stars, and Mama would be there to help. Anything for her eaglet. ;>

I have a clarification: Starting today, the live broadcast will start every day at about 23:00 and end at 12 hours of broadcast, ie at 11:00 and at the same time will resume a new live stream of 12 hours. That will be the case every day. That's to keep every live stream public on YouTube. This will be possible if there is enough light during the day for the solar panels to charge the battery and the camcorder to work all night.

A fairly quiet day as there was only one nest visit by a parent. There were a number of distant flights around the eyrie for which Zenit keyed in on, with sharp eyes and/or ears.
Otherwise, the eaglet received plenty of rest today. With a crop stuffed full on the previous two days in a row, all is right with the world of Zenit.

If we average out the hatch date to mid-week of the first week of May, Zenit would be on Day 70 at 10 weeks old today.









Panting.

































Mom is on a branch beyond the camera's view.





She brought a spruce branch of her own.

















One of the parental fly overs. Whenever Zenit sees or hears a parent, s/he attempts to lock on visually whilst calling vociferously, until they are beyond perception.







There is a lot of under-fluff blocking full view of the rectrices, but I think we can just begin to see the white-base of the juvenile feathers appearing on the far left most margin.





Zenit locks eyes with a dragonfly. It is a blur and the species cannot be determined. It can be seen in the foreground in front of the tree, first image.

If you really wish to get into the weeds:
Dragonfly Fauna (Insecta:Odonata) from Romania; PhD Thesis Abstract





Zenit is gaining skill with those talons - nice catch!





















Goodnight Bucovina and all who dwell within. :>