Aquila chrysaetos 2010-2022

Even 1 minute on a national channel is cool. It
help get the government's attention and funding for your organization, or private sponsors or
help from other community organizations.

Johan, thank you, thank you for your exceptionally kind words. You're a good egg. :>

Stelian and the rest of the Wild Bucovina crew, congratulations on the airtime!

Might anyone fill me in on August 1st? I was not able to view the lost footage. Was there any prey brought to the nest that day?

Good morning, Zenit.





Someone's hungry. The final corvid foot is about to be dismantled.



If we had this foot in hand, it would be instantly identifiable based on scale alone. It seems like a decent sized bird, but Zenit is holding portions of it out in front of him.
A trick insecure fisherman or trophy killers might use when taking a picture of their catch/kill. Hold the fish at arms length in front of the lens and this fish will appear larger.



The foot itself is at proper distance to Zenit's head, though. As with Zenit, ravens essentially walk on their toes. This is called a digitigrade posture, whilst humans are plantigrades.
The entire scaled portion is the foot itself. The first joint being the ankle, and the next joint being the defleshed knee. With this in mind, we can try to imagine the size of this bird.



Let's get some help from Mom. This is the foot of a hooded crow (Corvus cornix).
We still have to contend with the uncertainty of angles, but... it appears that the distance between the ankle and the knee is much less.

'

Back to the present. The foot is degloved.





Zenit is becoming a handsome young man. Or young lady, if we're both to be eating crow here.







Can't be leaving the nest without enjoying a couple hunting games.



















Approximately five hours and thirty minutes later, our star returns.



Briefly.



For another bite of largely meatless bone. A little chunk.





Family is near.



Away he goes.



37 minutes later, Mom arrives speaking softly and carrying a big stick.





The eaglet is quick to arrive on her heels, putting on a show of mantling over empty talons.



He pulls some old bones from the nest and whirls around mantling over those. Surely Mom left something here.









All yours, Zenit.



The jumble of bone is snaked down into his crop.











Goodnight, Zenit. Better luck tomorrow.

Mom returns to the eyrie alone. The central anchor point and beating heart of her territory. Since golden eagles may maintain multiple nests within a territory, this hub can shift per nesting season.

"We observed that eagles used up to 18 nests in a nesting territory, which exceeds the most (12 to 14) nests per territory reported by Dixon (1937) and Kochert et al. (2002). The mean number of nests used per territory (6.9) was higher than the 2 nests reported during a 4-yr study in Montana and 3.4 and 4.5 nests recorded respectively in a 1-yr survey (114 territories) and 15-yr study (20 territories) in Scotland (McGahan 1968, Watson 2010). These differences may be expected because our study covered >40 yr, and short-term surveys may underestimate the number of nests in a territory (Watson 2010)." -  Frequency of Nest Use by Golden Eagles in Southwestern Idaho, by Michael N. Kochert et al.



The down feather next to left eye style has caught on this afternoon. ;>



Something catches Mom's eye. She grips the nest substrate with her talons and pulls upward. Hmm.



Zenit can be heard calling distantly all the while, and Mom actively listens before leaving. He sounds to have temporarily landed and lifted off from limbs above her.



54 minutes later Mom returns with a domestic chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus). I think it important to affirm that domestic poultry has only been brought to the nest thrice now. First on June 30th, again on July 13th, and today. The larger bird brought to the nest on July 31st was not a chicken. It was a bird of prey. I've seen this prey item misidentified elsewhere and people in chat further spreading the misinformation by mistake. One should always be extra careful when blaming predators for depredations unfairly, as it is a touchy subject with those who keep livestock. Rather than practicing good animal husbandry, securing ones flock, and using other non-lethal techniques, some livestock owners have been known to retaliate lethally when they perceive an escalation in threat. Even if it is not real. Even if it is illegal to do so. Please, especially if you have a fair number of viewers, be absolutely certain of your prey identification if it involves livestock. I will try to help.



7 minutes later Zenit flies into view...



and claims the prize.











In between this picture and the last, there was a lot of beak-smacking and crop stuffing, but it was all a bit too close to the lens.



A little like this, but now we get a better view of Zenit's lovely mug and all four toes of the chicken.
In general, birds in the Phasianidae Family have short toes, blunt claws, and a less developed, elevated hallux or hind toe.



Compare with the bird of prey brought in on July 31st and its well-developed hallux and long, sharp, dark talons. The long, finger-like primary feathers are also telling.









Blurry, but we can see how Zenit's periorbital tissues are doing. There is a little more growth on the bottom lid.



To think, his crop is only about to grow fuller!





He heads off to the Second Perch of Zenit.



Away for several minutes, is all.







When who should appear, but Dear ol' Dad with a gift. Well. Zenit still has a nice plump chicken, which he mantles over, because surely Papa or any eagle would wish to pirate such a feast!
Did Papa leave the treat behind or take it with him?











Incoming Mom. We can see her glide over Zenit and the eyrie.







She comes bearing branches.



Zenit mantles over her talons just in case. Hidden morsels must not escape in the land of feast and famine.





Mom slips away momentarily, allowing us a fun, if not-quite-3D nest experience.













Mom does her best to put every last bit of chicken into her eaglet.







When he can fit no more, she begins scavenging tendons, bones, and less appetizing things for herself. Behaving rather famished.









The fawn leg is exhumed.









Chicken bits.



Raven leg.







Off she goes.





A view of Zenit's crop in all its glory.



And now, the movements of a restless Zenit. Can he get comfortable? Not in this nest, on this night.































The golden eagles are a part of the very fabric of Bucovina, having helped to shape her ecosystems for thousands upon thousands of years. They are Bucovina.
So with that... Goodnight yet again, fair Bucovina. Every thread, every warp and woof of your grand tapestry.

Raven wrote:Johan, thank you, thank you for your exceptionally kind words. You're a good egg. :>

Stelian and the rest of the Wild Bucovina crew, congratulations on the airtime!

Might anyone fill me in on August 1st? I was not able to view the lost footage. Was there any prey brought to the nest that day?

 
Hi Raven! Because the live stream could not be stopped in time and exceeded 16 hours, it was no longer available. I went to the mountains to make hay for the deer. As far as I can remember, I don't think the prey was brought to the nest.

Hi Raven! Thank you very much for the above explanations and guidance given.

Salutare tuturor! Avem vesti bune. Din donatiile dumneavoastra s-a strans suma de 9825,64 lei. Cheltuielile pentru îmbunatarirea sistemului de alimentare pentru prima camera live la cuibul acvilei de munte  dar si pentru a doua camera au fost acoperite de donatiile voastre iar comanda pentru camera, kit-ul special si echipamentul de catarare a fost data.
Multumim frumos tuturor celor care au donat pentru acest proiect. Pentru ca spectacolul naturii sa il putem admira si la alte specii din padurile salbatice ale Bucovinei, initiem un nou proiect cu beneficiu public, detalii aici:   Bucovina Wildlife Livestreams Project

Hi all!  We have good news. The amount of 1999.12 euro was raised from your donations.  The costs for the improvement of the feeding system for the first live camera at the mountain eagle's nest but also for the second camera were covered by your donations and the order for the camera, the special kit and the climbing equipment was given.
 Many thanks to all those who donated for this project.  In order for us to admire the spectacle of nature in other species from the wild forests of Bucovina, we initiate a new project with public benefit, details here:   Bucovina Wildlife Livestreams Project

Stelian, thank you for all the updates, and congratulations yet again! To all of us who enjoy learning from the wild ones of Bucovina!

I will certainly be tuning in to all the streams, except the feeding camera. Safe climbing/installing to you and the crew, best of luck with this ambitious project, and may you engender a greater connection to and understanding of the natural world.

Maybe Zenit did find comfort in the nest during the night, after all. For here he is all sleepy and snug when the stream clicks on.



Birdwatching is par for the course. Something we all share with dear Z.



As is charming his human admirers.



Why, yes, Zenit. You have a great many of those. As I mentioned before, you're a star.



No one need tell this eagle child to do his morning stretches.







He wobbles, unbalanced. Silly bird.









The crop is still substantial. We might acknowledge from this that a domestic chicken is a difficult thing for a wild being who lives a feast or famine existence, to pass up.
An undefended chicken is an easy kill that could keep hungry offspring alive for days.







Scratching the head with a foot requires good balance.



Sometimes when Zenit lies down I can hear my grandfather's voice say, "That's a funny looking duck!" Heh. A jokester, he was.















Family stirrs Zenit away from the eyrie.









Away for a mere 15 minutes.













If we look to the bottom right edge of the nest, we can see Papa Eagle banking toward Zenit. He has prey.











Zenit claims it and mantles in front of the camera, which shakes slightly when Father eventually lunges into the sky.





We can see by the prey's foot that it is another phasianid. A small one with a bare tarsus. It looks to be about the same size as the common quail (Coturnix coturnix) delivered by Dad on the 24th.







It is far less feathered. As in, it has been more extensively plucked.



Zenit pulls open a wing. If we look over what's left of the contour feathers, we can see the buff-colored stripe over the central vein as seen in common quail (Coturnix coturnix) and grey partridge (Perdix perdix). In the last quail, we could rule out grey partridge due to the presence of primary feathers that lacked a fully barred pattern. Those feathers have been plucked from this bird.







From one side of the nest to the other, Zenit seems to be more interested in playing hunting games than eating.









He finally turns from the camera and eats at least some of the phasianid, out of sight.



Then abruptly he begins playing with sticks and being the goofball we know and love.









Quality time with Zenit was limited to the morning hours, but we are lucky for every moment. Zenit is about 13 weeks old now, 91+ Days.
We are in the post-fledging dependence period (first flight to dispersal). A period not well studied.

"By contrast, the fact that distances to the nest attained in September differ significantly from those attained in the rest of the year highlights the transitional stage in these birds’ ontogeny that takes place around September: independence from parents and the onset of dispersal. This interpretation is reinforced by the fact that the age at the onset of dispersal estimated using the different criteria overlaps significantly,  strongly suggesting that in  Spain it takes place when individuals are about 140-180 days old (i.e.  around  September). This figure is in line with the age reported for the species in England (Walker 1987) and the USA (O’Toole et al. 1999). However, it is considerably less than the 240 days reported by Bahat (1992) for the Golden Eagle in Israel." -Post-fledging behaviour in Golden Eagles Aquila chrysaetos: onset of juvenile dispersal and progressive distancing from the nest, by Alvaro Soutullo et al.

Another study that may be of interest: The first case of successful breeding of a Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos tracked from birth by satellite telemetry, by Vicente Urios et al.



With that, I must leave you wholly with Z. Which is no problem at all, I'm sure.

Mom with a stick.



She still has a white subadult feather hidden in her left wing, apparently.





Nice full crop.



Hunger incarnate appears.







His talons lash out, but there is no prey.



He lashes out again, for surely he had missed. This time those talons find purchase in his mother's leg, and she is forced to flee.







If we estimate out from his fledge date of July 25th, when he first leapt to an adjacent tree, he should begin attempting to hunt for himself between August 22nd and October 1st.
This is based on data from Alaska, Israel, and England (Walker 1987, Bahat 1992, CLM) that found first hunting attempts occurred 28-68 days after fledging.



















The nest is empty, the night has settled in. A dormouse climbs the eyrie tree. If my sources are correct, Romania hosts four species of dormice. Two of these, forest dormouse (Dryomys nitedula) and garden dormouse (Eliomys quercinus) have dark markings over their eyes. We can easily rule those out. That leaves us with hazel dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) and edible dormouse (Glis glis). The hazel dormouse can reach a body length of 10 centimeters (3.9 in), not counting the tail. The edible dormouse is the largest of all the world's dormice, with a body length of 14 to 19 centimeters (5.5 to 7.5 in). Honestly, I'm still not confident judging scale in this nest. I'm thinking it is the larger species. The line of demarcation between the lighter belly fur also stands out, which in most photographs of the hazel dormouse does not seem to be the case.

Edible dormouse (Glis glis) is my guess. Correct me if you know best.

Good evening to all! Today I made some very important observations at Zenit. I was with my brother Emil in the nest area and Zenit could be heard calling his parents. After a few hours we hear Zenit about 200m from the nest area. We moved very carefully and in the greatest silence looking through the secular trees after him. But surprise, he was on the ground on the stump and eating from a fox. He saw us first and flew a few hundred meters through the dense forest. Before nightfall, she came near the nest with her mother, who had some prey in her claws. Zenith took the prey and ate it on a branch at the top of the tree and stayed there. 200 meters from the nest we find a feather from Zenith. Conclusions: His parents bring him food outside the nest and from now on we will see Zenit less and less in the nest.

The fox that Zenit ate from.


Zenit


Mom


Mother on the left, Zenith on the right


The coming of night, the place where Zenith will probably sleep.


Plumage from Zenit's wing.

Stelian, thank you for sharing your adventure into their territory and your brother's photography. It is really neat to see Mom and Zenit through another lens. Good to see he's eating off-nest too!

That is a primary feather from the right wing. Golden eagles have 10 per wing. Zenit shouldn't be naturally molting those yet, though he could have had a mishap. However, that subtle barring is reminiscent of a smaller accipitrid. Common buzzards have similar patterns, maybe not a perfect match, but here is what I mean (http://media.featherbase.info/images/images5/005809_full.jpg). If you have any open-winged flight photographs of Zenit, you could count and see if any primaries are missing.

"Juvenile birds do not begin molting new feathers, except adventitiously, until 8–12 mo following hatching. Thus, juvenile birds captured on their wintering grounds are unlikely to have molted many new feathers (Bloom and Clark 2001)." - Stable hydrogen isotopes identify leapfrog migration, degree of connectivity, and summer distribution of Golden Eagles in eastern North America, by David M. Nelson





Either way, that must have been a fulfilling experience. :>

Sprucing up the nest with Mom. Of course. We have not observed Dad delivering anything other than prey.











This roe deer leg continues to draw attention from eagles young and old.





Zenit puts Mom on edge. She startles in anticipation of his arrival. One must have nerves of steel to raise a golden eaglet.



He flushes his mother from the nest.









Picks at the same deer leg.







Over a couple hours later, another branch is brought over. This nest is very important to Mom.









That old leg again. Not nearly starved enough for dried tendons, however.





Back again with a lichen covered branch.





Zenit follows her in and claims a tuft of deer hair.







Several hours later...



Mom has delivered prey. This is either the second or third common buzzard (Buteo buteo) we have seen at the nest. The last raptor was so well plucked that it has been mistaken for a domesticated chicken. I have that bird scribbled down as "1 unk. raptor" in my notes. The feet and dimensions are close in appearance to this known quantity, but I don't feel confident enough to call it.

For this new prey delivery, using the online resource, Featherbase, we can match these feathers well, even in this variable species. "Featherbase is a working group of German feather scientists and other collectors worldwide who came together with their personal collections and created the biggest and most comprehensive online feather library in the world."

https://www.featherbase.info/en/species/buteo/buteo



























This individual has a pale eye, indicating that the buzzard was not fully mature.

































How the heck do you open this thing?



Zenit gives up. Hunger doesn't bite deeply enough to motivate him into figuring it out. Not tonight.

Hi Raven- thanks for your lovely screenshots and comments. The link with the feather database was fantastic to look at. I will save it for later. Thank you very much! By the way, the whole forum here is a goldmine in my perspective. I've learned so much about GE and much of their lives thanks to your knowledge.

Hi Johan :> My pleasure! Very happy to hear that this has been of value for you. That is wonderful.

I am chagrined to report that I am without screenshots for August 9th. Last night (my time) I was able to observe Mom return to the nest, cast a surprised glance at the buzzard still lingering there, and eventually carry it off. However, exhaustion had overcome me. It was a risk to not document then as it was prior to 9 am Romanian time, and it has been my experience that footage is more likely to be lost so early in the morning. It was.

Today ended up being an odd day, regardless. Most of it was spent away from home, tracking the GPS on my phone, in a stranger's car. Heh. It turned out well, at least.

hi Raven.
Yesterday's stream is saved and you can see yourself how Zenith flew in 7 minutes after the mother flew away with the buzzard, 07:42, Zenith at 07:48:55 flew in, inspected the empty nest and flew away at the same minute.
There were no other events during the day, we could only hear Zenith in the radius of the nest. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vcNtGpgAoA

Roma, thank you for pointing this out, and the timestamps. The stream was still live when I attempted to scroll back, and that was my mistake.

:>

Mistakes possible. Please correct if you spot one and I will remedy the list. Mentions of feeding on old prey may be listed during days when no prey is brought to the nest, but not during times of plenty.
That would have taken more time than I was willing to invest.

Bucovina Golden Eagle Nesting Season 2021

I recall seeing a snake in a screenshot, as early prey brought to the nest.
May 20 - Feeding from red fox (Vulpes vulpes).
May 21-23 - Can't find footage.
May 24 - European hare leveret (Lepus europaeus).
May 25 - Missing footage.
May 26 - European hare (Lepus europaeus). Least weasel (Mustela nivalis).
May 27 - Unknown bird. Phasianid? Hallux not well-developed. European rabbit kit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) OR European hare leveret (Lepus europaeus).
May 28 - Unfavorable hunting weather. No feeding observed.
May 29 - Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) OR hare leveret (Lepus europaeus).
May 30 - Two Eurasian jay nestlings/fledglings (Garrulus glandarius).
May 31 - Unfavorable hunting weather. No feeding observed.

June 1 - Rainy day. Unknown songbird, small. Hooded crow (Corvus cornix). Fed from old leporid spine as well.
June 2 - Feeding from yesterday's hooded crow (Corvus cornix).
June 3 - Roe deer fawn (Capreolus capreolus).
June 4 - Red fox (Vulpes vulpes), front left shoulder and leg. Something I'd missed initially. It blended in with the previous days roe fawn.
June 5 - Red deer calf (Cervus elephus), leg. European hare (Lepus europaeus), ear.
June 6 - European pine marten (Martes martes). Red deer calf's (Cervus elephus), heart?
June 7 - Fed on old pine marten (Martes martes).
June 8 - Roe deer fawn (Capreolus capreolus).
June 9 - Roe deer fawn (Capreolus capreolus). Yes, another brand new one.
June 10 - Hooded crow (Corvus cornix).
June 11 - Two (!) European pine martens (Martes martes).
June 12 - Hooded crow (Corvus cornix).
June 13 - Unknown songbird, small. Roe deer fawn (Capreolus capreolus).
June 14 - Unfavorable hunting weather. No feeding observed.
June 15 - Common raven (Corvus corax). European hare (Lepus europaeus).
June 16 - Eurasian red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris). Eurasian red squirrel pup (Sciurus vulgaris). Common blackbird (Turdus merula).
June 17 - Unfavorable hunting weather. Tearing at old hide/tendons/bones.
June 18 - Unknown nestling songbird, small. Two chunks of meat.
June 19 - Zenit swallows an impressively long hare/fawn tibia.
June 20 - Unknown songbird, approximately jay-sized, dark head and light feet. Fed old tendons.
June 21 - Roe deer fawn (Capreolus capreolus). Hooded crow (Corvus cornix).
June 22 - Technical difficulties. A couple screenshots shared by Stelian. Small crop visible.
June 23 - No prey.
June 24 - European hare (Lepus europaeus). Mouse (Apodemus sp.). Eurasian red squirrel pup (Sciurus vulgaris).
June 25. No prey. Fed on old hare feet (Lepus europaeus).
June 26 - Unknown rodent. Common raven (Corvus corax).
June 27 - A nest complete with three unknown songbird nestlings, small. Common wood pigeon (Columba palumbus).
June 28 - Chunk of meat. Two song thrush nestlings/fledglings (Turdus philomelos).
June 29 - Chunk of meat.
June 30 - Domesticated chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus). Roe deer fawn (Capreolus capreolus).

July 1 - European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) OR European hare leveret (Lepus europaeus).
July 2 - Mature female common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus).
July 3 - Roe deer fawn (Capreolus capreolus). Common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus).
July 4 - Thick overcast. No charge.
July 5 - Big chunk of meat.
July 6 - Five chunks of meat.
July 7 - Sizeable shattered bone chunk, indicating possible scavenging on predator kill. Chunk of meat.
July 8 - European hare (Lepus europaeus). Chunk of meat.
July 9 - Song thrush (Turdus philomelos).
July 10 - Substantial meal, if unidentifiable. Large crop.
July 11 - European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) OR European hare leveret (Lepus europaeus).
July 12 - No prey. Crop still a decent size.
July 13 - Domesticated chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus). Unknown songbird, small.
July 14 - No prey.
July 15 - Red fox (Vulpes vulpes). Unknown songbird, small.
July 16 - Common buzzard (Buteo buteo).
July 17 - Chunk of meat. Three nestling common kestrels (Falco tinnunculus) with bellies full of lizards (Unknown species).
July 18 - No prey. Good crop.
July 19 - Unknown columbid species.
July 20 - Unfavorable hunting weather. No prey.
July 21 - Little charge.
July 22 - Common kestrel nestling/fledgling (Falco tinnunculus).
July 23 - Domesticated cat (Felis catus).
July 24 - Common quail (Coturnix coturnix).
July 25 - Gull (Larus sp.). Zenit fledges.
July 26 - No prey at nest.
July 27 - European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) OR European hare leveret (Lepus europaeus).
July 28 - Eurasian magpie (Pica pica)
July 29 - No prey at nest.
July 30 - Roe deer fawn (Capreolus capreolus).
July 31 - Unknown accipitrid. Eurasian red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris). Common raven (Corvus corax)?

August 1 - No prey at nest.
August 2 - No prey at nest.
August 3 - Domesticated chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus).
August 4 - Unknown phasianid.
August 5 - No prey at nest.
August 6 - No prey at nest.
August 7 - The Bodnari brothers witness Zenit feeding on a red fox (Vulpes vulpes) off-nest.
August 8 - Common buzzard (Buteo buteo) brought to nest. Zenit picks at it unenthusiastically, and doesn't feed.
August 9 - Mom removes common buzzard (Buteo buteo) from nest.
August 10 - No prey brought to nest.
August 11 - No prey brought to nest.
August 12 - Common raven (Corvus corax).

Totals

11 leporids
9 unknown songbirds
8 roe deer fawns
6 common kestrels
4 red foxes
4 Eurasian red squirrels
4 hooded crows
3 European pine martens
4 common ravens
3 phasianids
3 song thrushes
3 domesticated chickens
2 common buzzards
2 Eurasian jays
2 columbids
1 red deer calf
1 least weasel
1 domesticated cat
1 unknown snake
1 Eurasian magpie
1 common blackbird
1 unknown accipitrid
1 gull
1 mouse
1 unknown rodent

Thank you Raven for your thorough research and note taking of the prey delivered. You are an invaluable source of information. I want to say thanks for keeping us updated with your enjoyable photos and story telling of Zenit's daily activities.

Thank you very much Raven for all the time, study and publications you have dedicated to this live camera. I learned a lot.

Thank you all. This has been a dense learning experience for myself, in turn. Honestly, much of what I shared directly about golden eagles was just as new to me. Behind the curtain, I was simply happily relaying the published information found from the real experts. It helps to integrate data when sharing with others who value it at least as much. The whole experience has been very rewarding. It has the sense of one of those special moments in life normally requiring one to be physically present. Seeing into the day to day life of a golden eagle family with such clarity is a rare, rare opportunity. Something I didn't intend to squander. It was difficult to keep up with at times as the trials and treasures of life continue forth unabated. But I think I managed to keep up just long enough. Since Raven is poor in the pockets, it also allowed me to give back a little for what was received. <3

Zenit calls out as he flies over the eyrie. How many more times will our eyes trace his image? Will we be so lucky to quietly welcome more of his siblings into the world?



At 17:47:07 thunder heralds the rain.

It's a beautiful world out there on this small blue marble drifting in the infinite vastness of space. Keep sight of the magic. It was nice to have shared with you this teeny tiny point in time and space, observing one species in a surviving lineage of dinosaurs, take flight and soar above us all.

ZENITH.

Perfect.

The largest of the local corvids and songbirds, a common raven (Corvus corax) is delivered to the nest. Mom has seconds to prepare for her eaglet's intensely possessive nature. As the Pauli exclusion principle asserts, no two identical fermions can occupy the same quantum state within a quantum system simultaneously. Zenit has not caught up in physics class. His confidence level in his own physical capabilities are certainly high.







Mom has little choice but to leap into the sky to avoid collision.



Zenit's twelve rectrices on full display.







Good progress has been made in seventeen minutes. The entire feeding session is impressive, though much of it is spent in either poor light or too close to the lens.





Zenit backs up just enough for us to put up with some blur. By this point most of the raven has been transferred to his crop.





Synsacrum with femur.







Keeled sternum and sternal ribs, upside down with wings attached.















Wing. Carpometacarpus still fleshed and partially feathered. Ulna pulled away from radius.







Zenit's second digit (innermost forward facing toe) rests upon the raven's intertarsal joint, otherwise known as the heel.



Humerus.







Wing again.





Zenit has finally awoken from his food trance and calls out.



A hop and a skip and away he goes.



Mom's back.







She takes a leg to go.





It sounds like she may have fed it to Zenit, but we can't be sure.



She returns.









































Hey... what do we have here? It looks like a European pine marten skull (Martes martes). How long has that been in the nest, I wonder?



The skull is upside down in this screenshot.







Another view of the upside down skull, by Mom's middle toe, digit three. Nose pointing to the left. This side of the skull has been stained by the nest.





Farewell Mom, Zenit, Papa... wherever you may fly, Bucovina.