Aquila chrysaetos 2010-2022

Papa Eagle delivers a domestic chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus). Zenit responds like greased lightning.











Mama.













































Mom this time too, and all to follow.















Zenit confuses the old chicken leg for something new, and mantles it possessively.





A songbird of indeterminate species is delivered by Mom.

Hi Raven!
Thank you very much for your photos and comments. Zenith in all its splendor.

life hack from Zenith.
how to properly tear off a paw from a carcass using a beak

If most golden eagles fledge during their 10th week, here is the widest range of dates for an eaglet hatched the 1st-7th of May: July 9th-22nd.
Zenit is surely already an exceptional eaglet, so would it be any surprise if s/he proved an exception to the rule? ;>



Mother, I beseech you!









Golden eagle puppy.

























Mantling before arrival. A first, if I recall? Zenit was pretty excited watching a parent approach the eyrie.
S/he could probably see the half end of what we will learn is a red fox (Vulpes vulpes) dangling from Mom's talons.







The ocherous pelage of the red fox.



There is too much fur and hide in the way, and the fox's bony hips and spine. It troubles young Zenit.







In the frustration and confusion s/he grabs her own toe! And thanks much to Roma for the GIF of that. Oh Zenit...





After screaming to the high heavens for it, help finally arrives in the form of Mom.







The fox's tail has been stripped of its guard hairs, though we can still just make out the white tail tip.





Here, if we look to the creature's curled under hind paws, we can see the characteristic dark sock of fur along the rest of the foot.











Zenit stands nearly parallel with Mother. Even though the nest is not perfectly flat we can see that the eaglet is not especially large.
According to Collopy (1986), nestlings attain maximum body mass at approximately 50-60 days after hatching. Is this accurate?
I'll try to obtain a more even parallel screenshot of the two, in the future.









Z settles down beside the fox paw.







Zenit. They love you, kid. You're a star!







'Ever get the feelin' you're being... watched?









Papa arrives with a small songbird hidden in a clump of vegetation.



Monster Zenit! Dad's head perfectly framed in Z's mouth.









A parental flyby stirs Zenit into a tizzy as s/he mantles the songbird.



Mom arrives with a branch before Zenit can begin feeding. She leaves swift.



Never are we afforded a good view of the songbird. One can just barely see the legs before the eaglet gulps it down.







Mom is back with another branch. This might be silver birch (Betula pendula). Stelian, please correct me if I'm wrong.



She stays to help Zenit with the fox feet. Such a good Mom.



















Goodnight Zenit, goodnight moth. Goodnight Bucovineans, great and small.

Hi, Raven! Thank you very much for the publications. One remark, the branch brought to the nest is Fagus sylvatica.

Wild Bucovina wrote:Hi, Raven! Thank you very much for the publications. One remark, the branch brought to the nest is Fagus sylvatica.

Hello, Stelian. :>

You're very welcome. Ah, thank you for the correction! I will integrate this best I can.

The pink glow of the anti-twilight arch, otherwise known as the Belt of Venus, is visible shortly before sunrise and after sunset. This could instead be alpenglow. There are subtle differences between the two. True alpenglow is not created by direct sunlight and only occurs during these times as well. All in all, another reminder that we live upon a small blue marble orbiting a star, in the unfathomable vastness of space.







Worry not, Zenit. Eagle World is plenty large enough for you to lay your claim.







Zenit is about to contract a case of the wobbles. Navigating normal Earth physics can be boggling enough.





Yet Zenit is ready to tackle them in a major way. S/he prepares.





And here it is! A hop atop the camera. Branching has begun.



Cool as silk.











Wing muscles must be strengthened.



Feathers must be well maintained. The wild ones are natural athletes who must strive to be in their best condition possible in order to survive.



Conserving energy plays an integral role in this as well.



Birdwatching is a good low energy activity. Although for Zenit, this may be like watching delicious, feathered cupcakes flitting about just out of reach.







Mom, with her much more patchy white underwing coverts. Delivering the Special of the Day.







What is it, Zenit? There is self-feeding, but it isn't particularly photogenic nor informative.



When Mom returns with a branch, the lesson commences.





When in doubt, check the feet. A medium sized raptor. Bird of Prey.









As soon as Zenit snatched this leg whole from Mom, she completely lost interest in feeding. Z is growing up and can handle this alone.







I think Stelian has it right. Common buzzard (Buteo buteo). This species has variable plumage.
Here is one with similar brown and white patterning on the legs. Photograph by Torok Bea:



























Here we can compare the size of the golden eaglet's feet to that of the buzzard. After which, I must leave the rest to Zenit.

"Birdwatching is a good low energy activity." 
I loved it, it's exactly my kind of activity these days! 
 

An all day wandering is again imminent. I haven't completely failed to post something yet, but it may happen this time.
A friend whom we haven't met up with since before the pandemic will be joining us, and so more of my attention will be focused on ensuring a safe and pleasant adventure for our trio.
We will also be leaving much earlier, so the fallback trick will not work.

See you on the other side. If Zenit fledges before my return, please do give a salute for me.
Off in a herd of bison dust, as my grandmother used to say.

Thanks Raven - once again. It is a pleasure to come to the forum to see the pictures, and read your comments. Wish you and your friends a nice trip out. As for Zenit, I think s/he will stay a few more days. No one knows, but I have a "feeling" ..

When one goes a-wandering with friends, it oft happens that one is more likely to push themselves to go farther than intended. As a result, one may wake up with a painful upper back due to lugging around heavy camera equipment with a single shoulder strap for this greater distance. I'm staring to feel more like myself, but I had to rest most hours of the day away.

Since prey was brought to the nest on the 17th, I would at least like to brush over that. First another note. Mom was active in bringing branches and sundry to the nest. Sometimes one piece of vegetation after the other in close succession. The likes of which we've not observed in previous weeks and months. This first set of three screenshots, is to help remind and familiarize others with Papa Eagle's wings and his lack of white patches.

Dad from June 13th, 18th, and 26th.







July 17th. Mom begins bringing lichen, branches, conifer cones, etc. to the nest. 11:40:35.



This doesn't appear to be a chunk of meat to my eye. maybe a spruce cone or something similar. 15:14:45.



These two images are from the same drop off, simply to highlight the wings of Mother as some wondered if this was Dad in chat. It is not.





Mom. 15:31:58.



Mom. 15:33:01



Zenit hacks up a lot of saliva, but produces no pellet.



Dad arrives with a chuck of meat. We do not get to view the underside of his wings. I recognize his face, something that isn't easy to convey. You'll have to take my word for it, or not.
17:06:55



Mom arrives, presumably with more vegetation as Zenit is still mantling over Dad's gift. 17:08:05.



Mom alights at the right side of the nest. We can see a flash of her white-based flight feathers. It appears to me that Dad's gift gets flung forward toward Mom as Zenit slashes at her with talons. I don't think Mom brought meat. The previous chunk disappears because there was only one chunk the entire time. 17:10:33.



Mom yet again! With a large branch. 17:11:51.



Zenit associates all visits with potential food deliveries. False expectations getting the better of all involved.





Mom, with actual prey. 18:32:48



Three nestling raptors. These raptors do not belong to the Accipitridae Family, containing hawks, buzzards, kites, harriers, eagles, and Old World vultures. These raptors belong to the Falconidae Family. We know this because all of the nestlings found in Romania, in the former Family, have a dark tip to their beaks. These do not.

Beak.



Foot.





Beak.





Flight feathers.





Foot.



Compare with the mature common kestrel's foot (Falco tinnunculus) in a slightly younger Zenit's beak from July 2nd.



Stomach.



One of the lizards contained in the stomach.







Head and beak.







Happy Zenit.



This is the best view of the face (profile) and beak of one of the nestlings. Clearly no dark tipped-beak. Falconidae.



Age seems closest to C. Source: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/figure?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0191956.g004







This lifecycle also fits.

Common kestrel. Source: http://www.eurapmon.net/sites/default/files/raptors_2nd_ed_010_kestrel.pdf
Hatching. Range: Early May to late July.
Young in Nest. Range: Early May to early August. Duration (Days): 28 to 35.
Fledging. Range: Early June to early August.

A few screenshots from the 18th. Missing a day entirely would be a shame.

Hi Raven! Thank you very much for the publications and the correct identification of the prey. I was left with the impression that the prey is 3 Buteo buteo chicks, but I was wrong.

Wild Bucovina wrote:Hi Raven! Thank you very much for the publications and the correct identification of the prey. I was left with the impression that the prey is 3 Buteo buteo chicks, but I was wrong.

Hello :> You're welcome, Stelian. My initial impression did match your own. It wasn't until I began going frame by frame that I realized otherwise.

Truly empty talons upon arrival this time. Unacceptable. Zenit lowers the head with soliciting cries, encouraging Mom to remedy the situation.
Nice and polite this morning. No attacking other's legs and feet in a frenzy.



No matter, as four minutes later Papa arrives with a columbid. A bird belonging to the pigeon and dove Family.







We note the overall color of the prey.





It has been well plucked as usual, but here is a part with slate gray outer feathering.



Zenit does not afford us easy views. We can see the feet which clued me in to the Columbidae Family.





A brief glimpse of the head.



After a more careful review, I don't feel confident saying which columbid this is.

Probably this one. It does seem to have lighter feathering underneath the body contours.
Fledgling common wood pigeon (Columba palumbus). Photograph by Simon Taylor.



Another possibility with a more delicate beak, though the feather tones don't seem to match.
Fledgling European turtle dove (Streptopelia turtur).



Other doves found in the region include rock pigeon (Columba livia), stock dove (Columba oenas), and Eurasian collared-dove (Streptopelia decaocto).

A parent can be seen soaring way high up in the sky, in the second fir framed window to the right of Zenit's head.





Mom still sprucing it up.

































As the storm continues to open up, Zenit seems to become a little... frisky. But don't blush too much.





These unusual motions are simply Zenit being stimulated by the falling rain, to bathe.

"I never observed wild eagles Bathe, but nestlings performed Wing-flop-rump-dip that resembled Bathing. Large eaglets threw both folded wings dorsally at the same time that the rump area was swung downward and forward toward the feet. The wings and rump then returned to their former position. The raising of the wings and lowering of the rump occurred much faster than the return part of the cycle. All of 10 performances were in Sit posture. One to 5 cycles comprised each bout. Only 1 or 2 bouts were performed temporally juxtaposed. The context of the Wing-flop-rump-dip as well as its form suggested its association with Bathing. Four of 6 performances occurred during showers; the fifth was immediately preceding a shower. Only the sixth observation was not on a stormy day, but even then, the eaglet was in the shade. The action pattern probably indicated that the eaglet was stimulated to Bathe, but in itself, Wing-flop-rump-dip served no discernible purpose." - Development of Behavior in the Golden Eagle, David H. Ellis - https://www.jstor.org/stable/3830587





To be certain, I went searching further for a video, and sure enough the motions are well matched:











The choanal slit is visible in Zenit's palate.

“The anatomical information about the structure of the choana is lacking in literature, and its role in the olfactory and feeding mechanism is still unknown.” - https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s41936-018-0026-6

"The choana is located on the roof of the mouth. It is a slit that connects through some passages to the nostrils. One really neat difference that birds have is that the glottis will fit snugly into the choanal slit when the bird closes its mouth, and the bird will then have a closed connection from the nostrils to the windpipe. When a human breathes through the nostrils, the air goes through the back of the throat, which is an open area, to the trachea through the larynx." - http://www.exoticpetvet.net/avian/anatomy.html

Hi Raven! Thank you very much for clarifying Zenit's behavior. Today in chat I assumed many options, but none is correct. Unfortunately, we are going through a period of storms and the flow has been interrupted. Tomorrow is also a cloudy day and there is little chance of restarting the live stream. We are waiting for the sun ...

Thank you Raven for the screenshots and all the documentation you provide here in the forum. Now I luckily got an answer to Zenit's "bathing movements" something I have never seen before. Thanks for all the links and descriptions. Very interesting! We lost the livestream early most likely due to the weather conditions and lack of sun and charging of the power source. Hoping for better conditions tomorrow if we are lucky.

Thank you ever and always for the kind words, all. It is appreciated. I often truly am learning right along with you. Zenit's behavior was initially a mystery to myself as well. How often I immediately know something is probably much less than expected. But now, know we do! And we shall not soon forget it. We will enrich ourselves with wild lore one crumb at a time, if we must! :>

Zenit was not terribly active today on account of the storm. While hunting may be temporarily poorer, the rain keeps the world green.
Essentially, the rain will grow more hare, deer, rodents, and such for those at the apex and all in between.

























I added a little blue dot. Just above this little blue dot is one of a few songbirds in the Paridae Family who were flitting about the eyrie tree.









Hunger moves the eaglet to begin picking at the few bones left in the pantry.





It seems a while ago now when Mom first helped tide little Zenit over with tendons during a similar stretch of stormy days.









The canopy is good for bird watching, and the nest is good for insect watching. Zenit is naturally a naturalist.
S/he will know this world most intimately, for s/he is embedded in it. Is a vital strand.





















And here is that very same red deer calf leg that helped keep Zenit alive with its tendons.
The largest bones that have entered the nest, and those with the longest duration in the nest. Golden eagles are anything but wasteful.





Thus concludes the tail end of our day with Zenit. The storm has had the final say, as if camera batteries share the trees' "hunger" for the light.
Who eats who, what eats what? Life feeds on life feeds on light. The nature of nature.

Zenit finds an old spine and pelvis hidden just beyond the edge of the nest. Picks at it a little, but obtains no sustenance.





A parent arrives during a gap in the footage. I think this is Mom. She has nothing in talons nor beak, and picks at the nest a little.
Dad doesn't tend to hang out unless he is trying to figure out how to safely pass food to his eaglet.



The storm does not allow us enough light to keep a charge for much longer. The battery dies at 12:58:31.

Eurasian kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) was on the menu again this morning. A fledgling/older nestling. I'm going to copy a few different study quotes over to give us an idea of possible breeding densities, as we've seen both young nestlings and older young of this species brought to the eyrie.

"In Europe, kestrel densities varies between 3 and 200 pairs/100 km2 depending on the extension of study areas, usually large ones include poor quality habitat areas or low availability of nesting sites (Village 1990)." - https://academic.oup.com/cz/article/64/2/173/2982081

Western Finland: "Annual breeding densities vary from 0.04 to 0.98 nests per km2, and clutch and brood sizes are much larger in years of high than of low vole abundance (clutch and brood sizes are, on average, 18% and 30% larger in high than in low vole years; data from 1977 to 1995 from Korpimaki 1984 and Korpimaki and Norrdahl 1991; E. Korpimaki and J. Wiehn, unpublished data)." - https://www.researchgate.net/publication/250075641_Food_Limitation_on_Brood_Size_Experimental_Evidence_in_the_Eurasian_Kestrel

South Scotland/general information: "During the breeding season most ranges were held by pairs that defended an area around the nest but shared much of their hunting areas with other pairs. Both these dispersion patterns are common in raptors (Newton 1979), and the change to shared ranges in summer may have been in response to the demands of breeding. Kestrels do not build their own nest but are restricted to using rock ledges, tree holes or, particularly in Eskdalemuir, the disused stick nests of other bird species. These nest sites were unevenly distributed in the study area, so some pairs were forced to nest close together in habitats less suitable for hunting. This may explain the greater range overlap in summer as birds moved away from the nest to forage. Clumped nests with overlapped home ranges have been reported elsewhere in kestrels (Fennel 1954; Cave 1968) and in other raptors (Joenson 1968; Olendorff & Kochert 1977)." - https://www.jstor.org/stable/3974



Right wing of a kestrel.



Zenit eats a pretty feather.



How can we definitively say that this was an older nestling or fledgling and not a mature female?



We look to the rectrices (tail feathers of flight), which a helpful young eaglet is pulling up, here. We can just see, if we peek carefully, the sheath wrapped around feathers still developing and unfurling.



As Zenit pulls them loose, we can further note that each one is developing at the same stage. Meaning, all of these rectrices began growing at once, as in a young bird growing its first set. Rather than a mature bird who molts and regrows a feather here and there, so as to maintain the capability of flight. This is another indicator used to determine the maturity of the first kestrel ever brought to the nest on July 2nd. Other indicators were listed with the previous post.









I must say that this kestrel's feet appear to be as richly colored as an adult's at this stage. Always combine identifying characteristics if possible.

















Can you feel it? Can you imagine the excitement as the horizon opens up? Life beyond the eyrie.











Family is near.











No fledging as of this Raven's Hatchday. Unless it happened off camera, we are assuredly in or going into our eleventh week with Zenit at the nest.

ANUNT! / AD!
MAI JOS SI IN ENGREZA / BELOW AND IN ENGLISH.
                                                                                                                                      Salutari tuturor!

             Va prezint un proiect cu viitoarele fluxuri live pe care intenționez să le realizez cu sprijinul dumneavoastră.
             1. Vreau sa achizitionez inca o camera video, un chit complet cu accesorii(accesoriile sunt mai scumpe decat camera) pentu a o monta la al doilea cuib al Acvilei de munte. Chitul cuprinte: camera video, card memorie, suport camera video de atasat de arbore, Router 4g, antene speciale pentru amplificarea semnalului 4g, abonament internet nelimitat, cabluri pentru router, cabluri pentru camere video, 2-3 panouri solare cu suporti , 2 baterii cu cutie metalica, 2 regulatoare de tensiune, cabluri pentru panou-baterie. Explicatie de ce acest lucru: Acvila de munte cuibareste in ambele cuiburi, dar nu este o regula ca in fiecare an sa schimbe cuibul. In anii trecuti au folosit si doi ani la rand acelasi cuib dar a fost si ani cand a schimba cuibul de la an la an. De aceea trebuie sa mai cumparam o camera video sa nu ratam tot procesul de imperechere -clocire -crestere. Nu avem cum sa stim de pe acum in care cuib va depune asa ca montarea camerei trebuie facuta cel tarziu in luna martie a anului viitor. Voi monta ambele camere video la o distanta de aproximativ 1metru de cuib si pentru detalii voi folosi zoomul camerei video. Montarea chitului va fi foarte dificila deoarece cuiburile sunt amplasate spre varful arborelui iar accesul este dificil si locurile de montat a accesoriilor la fel.
           2. De aceea trebuie sa achizitionam echipament special pentru catarat in arbori cu care sa ne putem indeplini misiunea si sa putem lucra in siguranta.
           3. Camera video cu chit complet(ca cele de la punctul 1) pentru hranitoarea animalelor salbatice. Iarna trecuta am avut montata o camera video imprumutata pentru monitorizarea faunei salbatice. In aceasta locatie care este la liziera padurii. Aici avem instalata o hranitoare pentru crevide si mai multe hranitori pentru pasari. La aceste hranitori iarna trecuta au venit: Ciute, Caprioare, Capriori, Iepuri, Bursuci, iar la cele de pasari au venit zilnic pasarele, 7 specii diferite. Link aici de la hranitoare din iarna trecuta: https://youtu.be/lZ2qZH99sMM Aceste hranitori ca sa functioneze trebuie in primul rand alimentare cu hrana complementara. Fan, boabe de porumb, mere, seminte de floarea soarelui. Alimentarea hranitorilor o voi face zilnic, deci o sa am program serios .
           4. Referitor la streamul live: Pe un cont de youtube se poate face un singur stream live de aceea un al doilea stream live il voi face pe contul de youtube al asociatiei "Wild Bucovina" link aici: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCueoWpx5FjBIfDkY6PXiNUA . Problema este ca ne mai trebuie un calculator pentru a face stream live. In prezent la streamul live ce functioneaza acum folosesc un calculator care nu imi apartine.
            Concluzie: Aceste proiecte pot fi realizate cu sprijinul vostru, nu avem finantare din alta parte. Noi suntem o asociatie non profit si munca noastra este voluntara. http://wildbucovina.ro/biography/ https://www.facebook.com/wild.bucovina Toti cei care pun pret pe ceea ce facem noi si doresc sa sustina aceste proiecte care sunt pentru benificiu public o pot face sub mai multe forme:
           donatie aici: http://wildbucovina.ro/donate/
           sau donatie materiala:
           Hrana complementara pentru animale: -porumb boabe, mere,
                                                        - seminte de floarea soarelui
           Multumim frumos celor care au donat deja pana acum pentru aceste proiecte. 25% donatii sau strans pana acum din valoarea proiectelor.
           Multumim frumos pentru sustinerea ta!

                                                                                                                                     Greetings to all!

              I present to you a project with the future live streams that I intend to realize with your support.
           1. I want to buy another camcorder, a complete kit with accessories (accessories are more expensive than the camera) to mount on the second nest of the Golden Eagle. The kit includes: video camera, memory card, support for attaching the video camera, 4g router, special antennas for 4g signal amplification, unlimited internet subscription, router cables, video camera cables, 2-3 solar panels with supports, 2 batteries with box metal, 2 voltage regulators, battery panel cables. Explanation of why: The Golden eagle nests in both nests, but it is not a rule to change the nest every year. In recent years they have used the same nest for two years in a row, but there have also been years in which they have changed the nest from year to year. That's why we have to buy another video camera so as not to miss the whole mating-hatching-growing process. We have no way of knowing from now on what nest it will lay, so the room must be installed by March next year at the latest. I will mount both camcorders at a distance of about 1 meter from the nest and for details I will use the zoom of the camcorder. Assembling the putty will be very difficult, because the nests are located towards the top of the tree and access is difficult and the places for mounting the accessories.
           2. That is why we need to buy special equipment for climbing trees with which we can fulfill our mission and work safely.
           3. Video camera with complete putty (such as those in point 1) for feeding wild animals. Last winter I borrowed a video camera to monitor wildlife. In this location which is at the edge of the forest. Here I installed a wildlife feeder and several bird feeders. These feeders came last winter: Roe deer, Red deer, rabbits, badgers and birds came daily, 7 different species. Link here from last winter's feeders: https://youtu.be/lZ2qZH99sMM These feeders need to be supplied with complementary foods in order to work. Hay, corn kernels, apples, sunflower seeds. I will feed the feeders daily, so I will have a serious schedule .
          4. Regarding the live stream: Only one live stream can be made on a YouTube account, so I will make a second live stream on the youtube account of the association "Wild Bucovina"  link here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCueoWpx5FjBIfDkY6PXiNUA The problem is that we still need a computer to broadcast live. Currently, on the live stream that works now, I use a computer that does not belong to me.
           Conclusion: These projects can be done with your support, we do not have funding from elsewhere. We are a non-profit association and our work is voluntary. http://wildbucovina.ro/biography/ https://www.facebook.com/wild.bucovina
Everyone who appreciates what we do and wants to support these projects that are for the benefit of the public can do it in several forms:
           donation here: http://wildbucovina.ro/donate/
           or material donation:
           Complementary animal feed: -corns(Zea mays), apples,
                                                        - sunflower seeds
           Many thanks to those who have already donated so far for these projects. 25% donations collected from the value of projects so far.
           Thank you very much for your support!

Hi Stelian, write down how much the complete kit costs to launch the second stream, and already seeing how much is needed, you can start collecting funds for this kit. There are convenient services with a donation collection scale, where you can see how much has been collected and how much money is left to collect.
I'm sure all this will help you quickly assemble a new set of stream equipment.

You can also start a second collection with a donation scale and the required amount to complete the existing equipment with additional sun panels and a battery.

This is just my opinion on how to make the collection better and more informative.

Roma wrote:Hi Stelian, write down how much the complete kit costs to launch the second stream, and already seeing how much is needed, you can start collecting funds for this kit. There are convenient services with a donation collection scale, where you can see how much has been collected and how much money is left to collect.
I'm sure all this will help you quickly assemble a new set of stream equipment.

You can also start a second collection with a donation scale and the required amount to complete the existing equipment with additional sun panels and a battery.

This is just my opinion on how to make the collection better and more informative.

Hi!
Thank you very much for the advice. I don't know how to do this to see live how much money is being raised. The video camera does not work without the accessory kit, unlimited internet subscription and a computer to play the live stream. also the climbing equipment at the second nest is necessary, so all these things together I need for a second stream. I will calculate the total amount and publish.