Delta2 2019 -2020 Observation and Discussion Thread

Camera discussion for the Delta2 nest in Delta, British Columbia

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Jean
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Delta2 2019 -2020 Observation and Discussion Thread

Post by Jean » Tue Sep 03, 2019 9:42 pm

DELTA 2: 2019 - 2020 OBSERVATION AND DISCUSSION


The nest tree.

July, 2019 (photos by Jean)
1.JPG
2.JPG

History of the Nest.


There have been eagles in this territory in Delta, British Columbia, not far from the Tsawwassen Ferry, since at least the late 1990s. They initially took over and rebuilt a red tail hawk nest, then nested on high tension power poles for a few years, then moved back to the nest in 2010 and successfully raised two eaglets. A camera was installed for 2011.

There are other eagle pairs nesting nearby – and the cameras are powerful enough, and the “zoomers” who control them are skilled enough, that we can not only see the resident pair perched on towers guarding their territory – we can sometimes see the neighbours on a further pole, near where the territories meet.


2011.........2 eaglets raised.........Oreo and Jet. Oreo fell or was blown from the nest and was rescued and taken to O.W.L. as he couldn't be safely returned to the nest. Jet fledged.

2012..........2 eaglets raised..........Goldwing and Linux. Goldwing did not survive and Linux needed some rescue help from OWL but did fledge afterwards.

2013........2 eggs laid, but only one hatched.........Tux. Tux fledged successfully.

2014.......Feb, 8, 2014...........Ma severely injured her left leg, possibly broke it. Ma still laid 2 eggs that year and 2 eaglets did fledge.........Ariel and Hunter.

2015..........2 eggs laid..........none hatched as our adults were frequently off the nest.......something likely disturbed them that year..........A summer storm happened overnight on August 28th/29th, 2015 while our adults were away on their migration. It completely snapped the nest tree and the nest fell to the ground. A starter nest was built in the tree we had been calling the Barn Tree. This nest was accepted by Ma and Pa when they returned from their migration and life carried on using the newly constructed nest.

2016..........2 eggs laid.....both hatched.............Ace and Pippin. Sadly, Pippin did not make it and passed away. Ace successfully fledged.

2017..........2 eaglets raised........Spirit and Jewel. Both fledged successfully.

2018........Sad turn of events this year. Pa went missing on June 1, 2018 and was not seen after that. Ma struggled with other adult and sub adult eagles to maintain control of her nest which had 2 chicks on it at this time. When Pa disappeared they were just over 7 weeks old. They were Dusk and Dawn. Both eaglets did fledge successfully as Ma befriended a male during this time. This male became known as Trooper.

2019........Trooper returned in the Fall to become the new male on the nest, Ma's mate. They raised 2 eaglets, Bella and Coola. Both did well with a successful fledge for them both.


Link to last year's Discussion Thread.........2018 to 2019:
HERE


Link to Nest Summary for 2018 to 2019:
HERE


Link to cam cleaning.........Aug. 20, 2019:
HERE


Link to the cams:
HERE


These cams are located in Delta, BC, Canada which is in the Pacific Time Zone.
"Volunteers do not necessarily have the time..............they have the heart"..........Elizabeth Andrew

(Member since 9/10/11)

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Jean
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Re: Delta2 2019 -2020 Observation and Discussion Thread

Post by Jean » Wed Sep 04, 2019 3:21 pm

Timeline 2019 - 2020

Eagles return: Trooper on the evergreen tree at 6:28pm on Sept. 28th. He came to the nest afterwards.
Ma seen on the poles Sept. 29th..........she came to the nest with Trooper on Sept. 30th. am.


Eggs Laid: Egg #1..........March 1, 2020 at 5:39pm
.............Egg #2..........March 4, 2020 at 2:26pm
.............Egg #3..........March 7, 2020 at 7:04pm.


Pip observed: suspected on April 8th, 2020 but definite on April 10th, 2020.
Pip observed: April 11, 2020.
Pip observed: Did not pip or hatch. Opinions were that it was the first egg laid. Last sighting of the egg was April 21, 2020 at 5:44am. It may have gotten buried after that.


Chicks hatched: April 11, 2020 @ 4:00am.
.....................April 12, 2020 @4:10am.


First Branching: Both eaglets, Sunny and Shadow branched on the same day. June 15, 2020.


Fledge Dates:
Sunny.....July 1, 2020........7:09pm.....Accidental fledge @ 81 days old. Seen that night but not after that.

Shadow.....July 4, 2020......8:16pm........Accidental fledge @ 83 days old. Fell off a branch but was located in the nearby tree looking ok. Shadow was last seen on August 1, 2020.



Adults last seen: Both adults last seen on the morning of August 2, 2020.
"Volunteers do not necessarily have the time..............they have the heart"..........Elizabeth Andrew

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Re: Delta2 2019 -2020 Observation and Discussion Thread

Post by Jean » Wed Sep 04, 2019 3:29 pm

Nest Adoptions for 2019 - 2020


This Nest has been Adopted By:

~ Jacki Hatfield and Bruce Goodwin ~
~ Sandy_W ~
~ Yolande A. Proctor ~
~ Alice and Richard Currie ~
~ Jean ~
~ JudyB ~
~ Pat B ~
~ In Memory of Harry Stothers ~
~ In honor of Carol MacKay's 60th birthday - a friend to all ~
~ Anne and Ron ~
~ Monica & Warren Jolly in honour of their Wedding day! ~
~ In fond memory of Earl Cleven, a long time friend of HWF ~
~ Shirley/luvtheanimals ~


Previous Adopters Wall of Honor
HERE


Link for Donations
HERE
"Volunteers do not necessarily have the time..............they have the heart"..........Elizabeth Andrew

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Re: Delta2 2019 -2020 Observation and Discussion Thread

Post by Jean » Wed Sep 04, 2019 3:39 pm

How to identify our adults..................Ma.


Eye dots are one permanent marker to ID an eagle. They do not change.
Ma's eye dots are very difficult to see.
1.JPG

2.JPG

Ma has ridges on her beak, (Trooper has some too) but they are a bit more noticeable than the ridges on Trooper's beak.
3.JPG
"Volunteers do not necessarily have the time..............they have the heart"..........Elizabeth Andrew

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Re: Delta2 2019 -2020 Observation and Discussion Thread

Post by Jean » Wed Sep 04, 2019 3:40 pm

How to identify our adults.............Trooper.

Trooper has a long white collar feather that hangs down which is noticeable particularly when standing in this position with his head turned to the left.
1.JPG

When bending down we often see a noticeable white back collar feather which is longer than the rest of the collar.
2.JPG
2.JPG (23.67 KiB) Viewed 19325 times

This season (2018 to 2019)a notch was noticed on Trooper's right side wing feather.........it was a larger notch than the one Ma had. But Ma's notch has changed now (Oct. 2019) and it is larger than Trooper's notch now (see more s'caps below).
3.JPG
"Volunteers do not necessarily have the time..............they have the heart"..........Elizabeth Andrew

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Re: Delta2 2019 -2020 Observation and Discussion Thread

Post by Jean » Wed Sep 04, 2019 3:40 pm

How to identify our adults.............Comparing Ma with Trooper.


Ma has a front collar notch.......Trooper has a back collar notch (not always visible).
1.JPG

Right wings on both: Visible last season.....feathers do molt however.
Trooper's notch on the left.......smaller than Ma's.........with a slender slit above the main notch.
Ma's notch has widened this year.........very "squarish" on one side..........larger than Trooper's notch now.

Trooper....................................Ma.
5.JPG

Back collars........Trooper's edge is a rougher looking zig zag in shape.......Ma has a finer edge to her collar at the back.
3.JPG
"Volunteers do not necessarily have the time..............they have the heart"..........Elizabeth Andrew

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Re: Delta2 2019 -2020 Observation and Discussion Thread

Post by Jean » Wed Sep 04, 2019 3:41 pm

How to identify our adults.................Tails.

Trooper's tail is tattered looking at the tips of the feathers.......Ma's is much neater and compact.

Inside/underneath view.
1.JPG

Top/outside view.
2.JPG

ADDED: Look below for more markers for Trooper that were noticed early this year.........2020.That post is after the one about the neighbouring eagle nests.


In general............

Collars change over time and with the wind and conditions of the moment. But their collars are distinct, and look different from each other on many occasions.

Ma has eye dots...........Trooper does not.

Trooper's tail often seems to have a tattered look with fringes at the tips of his feathers there.

Ma may occasionally limp, especially during nesting season. But her previous injury has healed well and most of the time we don't see the limp at all.

Generally speaking the male is smaller than the female. The female usually has broader shoulders (like a linebacker). David says this is so the female can properly support the male on her for a successful mating.
"Volunteers do not necessarily have the time..............they have the heart"..........Elizabeth Andrew

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Re: Delta2 2019 -2020 Observation and Discussion Thread

Post by Jean » Wed Sep 04, 2019 3:41 pm

Neighbouring eagle nests.


There are 3 other nests (neighbours) that can be seen with our cams. What we see in any of those nests (whether they are located on a tower or in a tree) often depends upon the weather conditions at the time because they are so far away and also depends on how many leaves are blocking our view once leaves from on the branches of all the trees. Bright sunlight is favorable for viewing them and with our area experiencing lots of cloud, rain and fog at times............it is often difficult or impossible to see them. And as they are in the distance any view we get it small. To make it easier to identify these 3 locations it has been decided to give each of these nests a name. This makes for easier posting and better recognition of which nest is being commented on. There is one more nest called the Bluff nest which at times can be barely located with our cams.........it is not close enough to see any details of consequence.

1. The Tower nest............home of the tower eagles. This is the closest neighbor to Ma and Trooper. The tower they nest on is located to the right of Ma and Trooper's nest. It is very easy to see from both our WEST and EAST cams.

1.JPG

2. The Field nest............home of the field eagles. If one looks to the left of the distant evergreen, into the distance they can see a tall tower there. In the past we've seen adults perched there and it is believed they nest in that tower although we rarely get a glimpse of them there. Most of the time we can only see this from the EAST cam.

2.JPG

3. The Bay nest...........home of the bay eagles. This is the most recent nest found.........located in a tree towards Boundary Bay. Two adults were seen perched in this tree together. This nest can only be seen using the WEST cam.

3.JPG
"Volunteers do not necessarily have the time..............they have the heart"..........Elizabeth Andrew

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Re: Delta2 2019 -2020 Observation and Discussion Thread

Post by Jean » Wed Sep 04, 2019 3:53 pm

MORE MARKERS FOR TROOPER.

Crease in the right side of his beak.
3.JPG
Curly feather on his back.
2.JPG
"Volunteers do not necessarily have the time..............they have the heart"..........Elizabeth Andrew

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Re: Delta2 2019 -2020 Observation and Discussion Thread

Post by Jean » Wed Sep 04, 2019 3:53 pm

RESERVED
"Volunteers do not necessarily have the time..............they have the heart"..........Elizabeth Andrew

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Jean
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Re: Delta2 2019 -2020 Observation and Discussion Thread

Post by Jean » Wed Sep 04, 2019 3:53 pm

RESERVED
"Volunteers do not necessarily have the time..............they have the heart"..........Elizabeth Andrew

(Member since 9/10/11)

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Jean
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Re: Delta2 2019 -2020 Observation and Discussion Thread

Post by Jean » Thu Sep 05, 2019 4:45 pm

September 30, 2019.

MA AND TROOPER ARE BOTH HOME NOW...............This is the beginning of the observations for 2019 to 2020.

Eagles return: Trooper was seen on the evergreen tree at 6:28pm on Sept. 28th, 2019. He came to the nest afterwards.
Ma was seen on the poles Sept. 29th, 2019..........she came to the nest with Trooper on Sept. 30th. am.
"Volunteers do not necessarily have the time..............they have the heart"..........Elizabeth Andrew

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Jean
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Re: Delta2 2019 -2020 Observation and Discussion Thread

Post by Jean » Mon Sep 30, 2019 10:17 am

10:17am............Trooper remains in the tree while Ma watches from the pole.
1.JPG
"Volunteers do not necessarily have the time..............they have the heart"..........Elizabeth Andrew

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Re: Delta2 2019 -2020 Observation and Discussion Thread

Post by Sandy_W » Mon Sep 30, 2019 10:18 am

10:16 am Thanks so much, Jean, for setting up the new thread for this nesting season. Trooper is in the nest tree and Ma is at the center pole this morning. A great way to start the day.
2019-09-30_12-16-35.jpg
2019-09-30_12-16-23.jpg
“Eagles: When they walk, they stumble. They are not what one would call graceful. They were not designed to walk. They fly. And when they fly, oh, how they fly, so free, so graceful. They see from the sky what we never see.” – Unknown

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Re: Delta2 2019 -2020 Observation and Discussion Thread

Post by Sandy_W » Mon Sep 30, 2019 10:21 am

10:20 am Trooper doing some preening.
2019-09-30_12-20-23.jpg
“Eagles: When they walk, they stumble. They are not what one would call graceful. They were not designed to walk. They fly. And when they fly, oh, how they fly, so free, so graceful. They see from the sky what we never see.” – Unknown

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