BS: Bandits in Eagle Nest

Subject: BS: Bandits in Eagle Nest
From: Charley Noble
Date: 25 Feb 12 - 07:54 PM

Hancock Wildlife Foundation has placed webcams in several bald eagle nests in British Columbia, including one near the Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society (known as O.W.L.) in the district municipality of Delta, a little south of Vancouver - and that bald eagle nest is known as the Delta OWL nest. The eagles have been seen in the area, but have not done any work on the nest - and while we hope they will begin adding the final touches before mid-March when they're most likely to lay eggs, this particular pair apparently doesn't nest every year, so it's anyone's guess if they will visit the nest this spring.

The nest is in great shape - the team from Hancock Wildlife added fresh branches when they were there to do maintenance on the cam in the fall, knowing that the pair appeared to enjoy a ready-made nest the previous year, and having seen their not-very-successful attempts to build a nest on their own. And it appears that someone is enjoying it - on February 17, observers logged into the cam to see a pair of raccoons sleeping in the nest! They slept there all day - and as darkness fell, they woke up, engaged in a bit of what appeared to be playful behavior - and left. You can read about their visit and see a number of pictures of them here: click here for PIXS!

We wondered if they would return the next day - but they did not. Several people checked regularly - and they were not seen again - until February 25. The nest was empty when someone checked at 9:04 am - and at 9:38 am, there was one little raccoon sleeping there. The link to read about today's visit is: Click here for update!

There's no way to know if this is one of the pair that visited before, but it looks about the same size.

As you can see by reading the posts on the Hancock Wildlife forum linked above, people do have mixed feelings about the presence of the raccoons. They are cute - but we would like to see the eagles nest this year, and a raccoon is a threat to young eagles. Also, adult eagles and raccoons can both be quite vicious, so one or both could be badly injured if there was a confrontation. Raccoons have been seen in other eagle nests with cams, and generally don't approach once the eagles begin spending time at the nest - so we are hoping things will be resolved peacefully here as well.

JudyB and Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Bandits in Eagle Nest
From: gnu
Date: 25 Feb 12 - 10:37 PM

The coons ain't no problem for an eagle and they know better than to mess with eagles. There won't be any fights when the eagles return. It's all hype and drama for the websites. Sellin tickets. Which might be a good thing.

Subject: RE: BS: Bandits in Eagle Nest
From: Charley Noble
Date: 26 Feb 12 - 09:09 AM

The raccoons are fun to watch in their aerie. Sometimes raccoons will sneak into an eagle nest and steal an egg or a new chick but eagle parents seldom leave the nest for more than a minute when there are eggs or chicks, and it's a great risk for the raccoons.

A young raccoon might be a tempting meal for an eagle but not a full-grown one. An adult raccoon can defend itself successfully from most any predator, dog or eagle.

We were just bemused that the raccoons were hanging out in this abandoned eagle nest, and at the reaction from the regular eagle watchers. It takes a little effort to learn how to navigate the Hancock Forum Eagle website; one can sift through the photos that people post each day or watch the live cams. I've never had the patience to learn but Judy spends hours each day!

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Bandits in Eagle Nest
From: gnu
Date: 26 Feb 12 - 11:27 AM

They are cute and kinda small. As for an eagle in the air and a coon in a tree? I say the eagle wins.

Subject: RE: BS: Bandits in Eagle Nest
From: Charley Noble
Date: 26 Feb 12 - 03:10 PM

Raccoon's got a bushy tail,
Possum's tail is bare;
Eagle's got a feathery fan
And he flies up in the air!

No sign of the raccoons on the live web-cam today.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Bandits in Eagle Nest
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 27 Feb 12 - 08:03 AM

We had reports a few weeks ago that three pairs of eagles appeared to be beginning nest maintenance in nearby areas (presumedly about 60 miles East of Wichita, KS) but the wildlife people were being pretty coy about precise locations in order to avoid having them disturbed.

I haven't noticed any further reports this year, but they do nest in several areas in the region. Unfortunately, several pairs (but by no means all) that have done the whole nesting routine in recent years have failed to produce any chicks. They appear to be somewhat "sporadic" breeders.

John

Subject: RE: BS: Bandits in Eagle Nest
From: ragdall
Date: 27 Feb 12 - 08:21 AM

A pair of eagles are back on their nest here in Prince George, BC. Twigs and branches around the nest prevented a clear view today. The nest will be well hidden after leaves appear.   
http://www.flickr.com/photos/diffuse/6934822281/
rags

Subject: RE: BS: Bandits in Eagle Nest
From: Charley Noble
Date: 27 Feb 12 - 09:04 AM

Judy keeps track of at least a dozen eagle nests. Several have eggs and three already have chicks. Unfortunately the Blackwater Nest had an intruder Eagle who swooped in and attacked the two newly hatched chicks, killing one and injuring the other. There are some hard lessons to be learned from observing these nests, and sometimes it's not all fun. I generally don't watch the nests live, but they are the major topic of conversation at the dinner table.

JudyB is a Forum Administrator for the British Columbia based Hancock Eagle Nest-Cam Forum.

The Maine eagles appear to be doing nest maintenance again. Last year one pair, unfortunately not on a web-cam, successfully raised four chicks; their nest is about a mile from our house in Richmond on an island in the Kennebec River and we were totally unaware of them until they fledged.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Charley Noble