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Route 44 eagles on the Caltrans Eagle Cam
www.turtlebay.org
The eagle pair has been very succesful hatching three eaglets. They hatched March 17, 19, and 22. The parents are being very diligent in feeding and caring for them. As the eaglets grow, you will notice that they are out from under the parents more often.
Notice that as they feed, they rip off food and gently place the food at the eaglets’ beaks.
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Pheucticus melanocephalus L 8 ¼” (21cm)
Photo by Lang Elliott
An adult male Rose-breasted Grosbeak
The rose-breasted grosbeak is a songbird of the eastern deciduous woodlands. Spending much of its time in the treetops, the beautiful male rosebreast is often heard before it is seen. The rich melodic warbling song of the rose-breasted grosbeak is often described as sounding like a robin that’s had singing lessons. When not singing, rosebreasts often utter a call that sounds like a squeaky eeek! In flight, male rosebreasts flash a pinwheel of black and white, and if you look carefully, you’ll see that both sexes have salmon-pink in the “armpit” region under their wings.
Above information from BirdWatchersDigest.com
In the past five years we have had two sightings of a Rose-breasted Grosbeak (an eastern bird) at our backyard feeders. A maturing male bird visited our feeders during late winter, spring, and summer about four years ago. This winter a juvenile male was sighted once at our feeders and a few times by our neighbor.
The male Rose-breasted Grosbeak is easily identified. It is black and white, with a large triangle of rose-red on the breast and a thick pale bill. The female shows little resemblance to the male bird with the exception of the large thick bill. The female is streaked like a large sparrow and recognized by the large “grosbeak” bill.
As the male bird matures the pale rose-red triangle on the breast becomes a very distinct bright rose-red triangle.
Route 44 eagles on the Caltrans Eagle Cam at Turtle Bay
The powerful bald eagle is magnificent. It isn’t surprising that we chose it as our nation’s symbol.
Most of us will never get close to an eagle’s nest. That’s OK, though. Their sharp talons and beak are intimidating!
Thanks to technology, though, we can safely see inside an eagle’s nest. This site features a Webcam trained on an eagle’s nest.
This particular pair of eagles has three eggs in its nest. Two hatched last week. The remaining egg should hatch soon.
It is interesting to see the eagles take turns incubating the eggs. And the size of the nest is impressive, too. Of course, the eagles have worked on the nest for several years.
This is a great site to share with your children. They will love the eagles. And there is plenty of information about the big birds.
The Webcam is only available during daylight. So, if you don’t see anything at first, come back to the site a little later!
This pair of eagles first moved in and began to nest in the fall of 2004, but were not successful hatching any eaglets during the spring of 2005. They returned the following year, added to their nest and successfully hatched, raised and fledged one eaglet in 2006! In 2007 they returned yet again fledging one eaglet.
Most Bald Eagles return from their wintering sites in February and begin nesting behaviors in March or April. This pair of Bald Eagles has been returning to their nest around December to begin their additions to the nest. Normally, they’re sitting on the nest in January and incubating eggs in early February. They’re early this year, arriving the first week of November, and have been sighted in and about the nest.
During the 2008 breeding season, construction began on the State Route 44 bridge replacement project. Historically, Bald Eagles have needed quiet, undisturbed areas to successfully breed. As human development has increased and encroached on their territories, Bald Eagles are becoming more tolerant of the human environment. Despite construction activities, they successfully fledged two eaglets in 2008!!
The Caltrans Eagle Cam
• Watch the eagles as they move around the nest. When they are maneuvering around the eggs and eaglets, they will ball up their feet so that they don’t damage them with their talons.
• Note that there is always one eagle in the nest while incubating the egg. They will take turns incubating and will even bring food back to one another.
Eagles of the World
There are 59 eagle species found through out the world. Eagle species are divided into 4 groups: True or Booted Eagles (Golden Eagle), Serpent or Snake Eagles (Bateleur Eagle), Forest Eagles (Harpy Eagle), and the Fish Eagles (Bald Eagle). There are only 2 eagle species found in the US: the Golden Eagle and the Bald Eagle.
The Bald Eagle is exclusive to North America. Bald Eagles range in size from 6-16 pounds with wingspans ranging from 6-8 feet. Females are 1/3 larger than males. Bald Eagles are smaller in the southern range and larger up north. Alaska has the largest Bald Eagles and Florida the smallest. Bald Eagles can be found in every state except Hawaii.
Bald Eagles mainly eat fish. About 90% of their diet consists of live or dead fish. The rest of their diet consists of any small animals they can catch along the shores including; snakes, ground squirrels, goslings, ducks and coots.
From Project FeederWatch – Cornell University
Salmonella outbreaks come with the season
Along with warmer temperatures, spring brings conditions that are conducive to the growth of bacteria around your bird feeders. Some species, particularly the finches, can be highly susceptible to salmonellosis, caused by bacteria belonging to the genus Salmonella. This disease is a common cause of mortality in feeder birds, but the symptoms are not always obvious. Sick birds may appear thin and fluffed up. They are often lethargic and easy to approach. Some infected birds may show no outward symptoms but are carriers of the disease and can spread the infection to other birds.
Salmonella has received considerable attention lately due to the contamination of human food supplies, particularly peanut butter products. Some pet and bird foods have also been recalled due to potential contamination. Recalled products should be returned to the store or disposed of properly. Contaminated foods, however, are likely not the cause of most salmonellosis in birds. Salmonella bacteria normally circulate in populations of wild birds. The bacteria are primarily transmitted among birds through fecal contamination of food and water.
Outbreaks of the disease can occasionally cause significant mortality in some species like Pine Siskin and American Goldfinch. Given the large numbers of Pine Siskins that moved into the southeastern United States this past winter, we can expect to see the widespread outbreaks of salmonellosis that typically accompany siskin movements.
Create a safe bird-feeding environment
If you notice a sick bird at your feeders or bird bath, minimize the risk of infecting other birds by cleaning your feeder area thoroughly. If you see several diseased birds, take down all of your feeders for at least a week to give the birds a chance to disperse. Salmonella strains found in birds can be dangerous to humans, so do not handle any sick or dead birds, and be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after handling feeders. With proper care and attention, you can maintain a safe bird-feeding environment in your yard.
More information about salmonellosis can be found at the National Wildlife Health Center.
For more information on other diseases affecting wild birds, visit the National Wildlife Health Center or the Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre.
| Weather and Effort: March 18 and 19, 2009 | |
|---|---|
| When did you watch your feeders? | Day 1: morning afternoon Day 2: morning afternoon |
| Estimated cumulative time: | 1 to 4 hours |
| Daylight temperature: | 11 to 20° C (51 to 68° F) low Over 20° C (over 68° F) high |
| Daylight precipitation: | None |
| Total depth of ice/snow cover: | None |
Checklist for FeederWatch California Region Birds
| Mourning Dove | 2 |
| Anna’s Hummingbird | 2 |
| Steller’s Jay | 1 |
| Western Scrub-Jay | 4 |
| American Crow | 2 |
| Chestnut-backed Chickadee | 1 |
| Oak Titmouse | 2 |
| California Towhee | 1 |
| Fox Sparrow | 1 |
| White-crowned Sparrow | 5 |
| Golden-crowned Sparrow | 3 |
| Dark-eyed Junco | 6 |
| House Finch | 11 (3 with eye disease) |
| American Goldfinch | 1 (0 with eye disease) |
Visit Project FeederWatch for more information and to find out how you can become a citizen scientist and count the birds you your own backyard!
| Weather and Effort: March 11 and 12, 2009 | |
|---|---|
| When did you watch your feeders? | Day 1: morning afternoon Day 2: morning afternoon |
| Estimated cumulative time: | 1 to 4 hours |
| Daylight temperature: | 1 to 10° C (33 to 50° F) low 1 to 10° C (33 to 50° F) high |
| Daylight precipitation: | None |
| Total depth of ice/snow cover: | None |
Checklist for FeederWatch California Region Birds
| Band-tailed Pigeon | 3 |
| Mourning Dove | 6 |
| Anna’s Hummingbird | 3 |
| Steller’s Jay | 2 |
| Western Scrub-Jay | 2 |
| Chestnut-backed Chickadee | 2 |
| Oak Titmouse | 2 |
| Spotted Towhee | 1 |
| California Towhee | 1 |
| White-crowned Sparrow | 3 |
| Golden-crowned Sparrow | 3 |
| Dark-eyed Junco | 4 |
| House Finch | 9 (0 with eye disease) |
| American Goldfinch | 2 (0 with eye disease) |
Visit Project FeederWatch for more information and to find out how you can become a citizen scientist and count the birds you your own backyard!
Weather and Effort: March 4 and 5, 2009
When did you watch your feeders?
Day 1: morning
Day 2: morning afternoon
Estimated cumulative time: 1 to 4 hours
Daylight temperature: 1 to 10° C (33 to 50° F) low
1 to 10° C (33 to 50° F) high
Daylight precipitation: Rain 1 to 3 hours
Total depth of ice/snow cover: None
Checklist for FeederWatch California Region Birds
Mourning Dove 3
Anna’s Hummingbird 1
Steller’s Jay 3
Western Scrub-Jay 3
Chestnut-backed Chickadee 1
Oak Titmouse 2
Spotted Towhee 1
California Towhee 2
White-crowned Sparrow 5
Golden-crowned Sparrow 8
Dark-eyed Junco 5
House Finch 11 (0 with eye disease)
American Goldfinch 2 (0 with eye disease)
Visit Project FeederWatch for more information and to find out how you can become a citizen scientist and count the birds you your own backyard!
