Big Bear CA Eagle Cam - 2022 - 2023

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Re: Big Bear CA Eagle Cam - 2022 - 2023

Post by Maddy » Sun Sep 25, 2022 12:21 am

From Friends of Big Bear Valley and Big Bear Eagle Nest Cam
September 29 at 12:58 AM
Shadow and Jackie and new camera upgrades…
. Last Friday on our way up to finish camera system maintenance, we caught a glimpse of Shadow hanging out on one of his favorite perch trees...after some quick snapshots, we left him to his morning privacy and preening.
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Re: Big Bear CA Eagle Cam - 2022 - 2023

Post by Maddy » Sun Sep 25, 2022 12:22 am

Shadow has been on the roost tree most nights
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and tonight Jackie and Shadow are there together.
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(Notice what a great view we have of them on the roost tree now with the new camera position!)
. So, together, they would like to announce the release of their new Jackie & Shadow 2023 calendar, featuring them and of course, Spirit. The calendars are now in the shop on our website: https://www.friendsofbigbearvalley.org/ ... calendars/
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. As you have probably already seen from the sound-filled livestream, our maintenance work last week was successful. We had an amazing team, each with their own expertise and abilities, collaborating to make it all come together. Huge THANK YOU to: Giacomo Renzullo, Dr. Peter Sharpe, Jennifer Renzullo, Jim Applebury, Carl Picciolo, Cali Condor, Mike Bode, Cindy Bode and Mark Goodley.
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Here is a list of what we accomplished...
- Improved livestream transmission to internet by installing more powerful antennas at both the sending and the receiving sites
- Cleaned the nest of fishing lines and checked for any other dangerous debris
- Tested functionality and re-positioned the Nest Camera for a better view of the nest bowl and the Roost Tree
- Cleaned the nest camera dome from the season of splotches left by Jackie, Shadow and especially Spirit
- Replaced the nest microphone and tested various microphone locations/positions to get the best sound
- Moved the Wide View camera to a completely new location for a better view of the surrounding area and some of Jackie & Shadow’s favorite nest area perch trees (after testing a few new locations to see which worked best)
- Replaced the Wide View camera dome (the old one still had beak scratches from Simba biting on it in 2019!)
- Rewired and placed the Wide View microphone in a better location from the camera to pick up all the natural sounds of the area
- Improved the live stream quality with a variety of system updates and setting changes
~~
This whole camera maintenance operation is much more specialized and complex than most people realize…so we thought you might like some of the details this time:
-First, the nest is located 145 feet high in a very “sappy” Jeffrey pine tree with lots of limbs to maneuver around in order to get to the nest. The tree is in rugged terrain only accessible by hiking and schlepping all the equipment in backpacks. Since bald eagles are a protected species, working in the nest requires a qualified biologist—who also happens to know and be able to install specialized cameras and electronics, not to mention be certified, capable and willing to climb that high into a tree, using only ropes so that the tree is not damaged. There are very few people who do this…
-Thankfully, we were able to find a qualified climber who could fit our maintenance into his busy schedule and we flew him in from Northern California--Giacomo Renzullo did an amazing job, including having to start off by restringing the climbing rope up into the tree—this not-so-small feat entails expertly using a crossbow to shoot the starting line over just the right limbs near the top of the tree. (The rope lines somehow keep getting broken between seasons -- we're suspecting that they might be tasty little treats to some of the small squirrely animals that live in the nest tree--western gray squirrels, Merriam chipmunks and the northern flying squirrels--but, of course, we’re sure that nest regulars, Fiona and Freddie (flying squirrels), would never do this since they would lose their cameo moments without the camera!)
Giacomo’s wife, Jennifer, was also able to accompany him to serve as ground assistant during the climbs.
-The job also requires someone on site who understands the whole design and operation of our system (a solar station powering the cameras, mics and all the devices running and integrating them, and receiving the video and audio to transfer via special antennas to the location where the signal gets sent to the internet--since the nest is on National Forest land, there is no electricity or internet directly accessible.)
-This complex part of the operations requires another wildlife biologist who is also a livestream camera and electronics expert to guide the operations from the ground, pre-connect and test each piece of equipment plus integrate the system, firmware, software and settings. Fortunately, a well-respected expert, Dr. Peter Sharpe, from the Institute of Wildlife Studies on Catalina, who originally designed and installed our system, agreed to drive in from Colorado to assist.
-With everyone here and all the potential equipment we might need on site and ready for installation, the microphone repair first entailed being in the tree and testing the equipment from the ground to determine whether the break was the microphone itself, the interface where it fed into the camera (which would include replacing the whole camera) or a break or lost connection in the 400+ foot power cable running from the solar equipment to the microphone.
-It turned out to be the microphone itself, and the microphone repairs (including multiple climbs up the nest tree) took most of the first 2 days.
-The next day and a half went toward moving the Wide View camera by uninstalling the camera, microphone and cables, preparing, connecting and restringing new, longer power cables, evaluating 4 potential new camera locations, climbing two of those to take videos of the views available, reinstalling the camera in the selected location, testing and rewiring the microphone in a different configuration for better sound receiving from the surrounding area, and integrating all of this into the current electronics and power system.
-Plus, the week before even starting these maintenance operations on the cameras and microphones, we focused on improving the livestream quality with the installation of new, more powerful radio antennas at both the nest site and the base site, where the video is livestreamed to the internet. Jim Applebury and Carl Picciolo did a great job of getting these installed and operational, including proper ‘aiming,’ since the two antennas—nearly a mile apart—must be pointing directly at each other to transmit and receive the signals.
….From seeing the bigger picture of all that goes into these repairs, maintenance and improvements to keep the livestreams operational, it might be easier to understand how this takes so much time, planning and expense (over $10,000). Thank you to all of you for your understanding and patience as we worked to get the nest cam microphone operational, along with all the other maintenance and system improvements.
We are very happy to bring these bald eagles and the beautiful nature around them into your homes, offices and classrooms.
(For those of you who remember Jackie & Shadow’s favorite snag tree that was visible from the nest camera and fell during a big storm in February---I included a photo showing where that tree fell—right in the direction of the nest tree but, with amazing luck, missing the nest tree by only 10 feet!)
Thank you all very much for your amazing and continued support!
Sandy
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Re: Big Bear CA Eagle Cam - 2022 - 2023

Post by Maddy » Sun Oct 02, 2022 9:13 am

October 2nd
Good morning, everybody!
☀️ Happy Sunday! ☀️
6:04 am vocals
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Bensweather.com Forecast Updated:
Troughing along the west coast will lead to slightly cooler temperatures this weekend with an increasing onshore flow. Weak ridging aloft will also build in over the four corners through early this week bringing slightly warmer temperatures and enough upper-level moisture for an afternoon shower or storm on Monday. Expect nice weather through Sunday with highs in the lower 70's, south to southwest winds 5-15mph during the afternoon with a few high clouds. Enough mid/upper-level moisture could spark some elevated instability on Monday, but prospects for widespread thundershowers remain low. Daytime highs will remain in the lower to mid 70's through the middle of the week, while overnight lows drop into the upper 30's and 40's. A stronger trough of low pressure will move into the area later in the week with dry weather and additional cooling towards next weekend.
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Re: Big Bear CA Eagle Cam - 2022 - 2023

Post by Maddy » Sun Oct 02, 2022 9:17 am

6:23 am
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6:29 am
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6:32 am distant vocals
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Re: Big Bear CA Eagle Cam - 2022 - 2023

Post by Maddy » Sun Oct 02, 2022 9:24 am

6:45 am
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6:48 am vocals
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7:07 am an adult eagle is flying by
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Re: Big Bear CA Eagle Cam - 2022 - 2023

Post by Maddy » Sun Oct 02, 2022 9:33 am

7:21 am the cam pans
7:22 am
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and one adult eagle in a snag
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7:23 am
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Re: Big Bear CA Eagle Cam - 2022 - 2023

Post by Maddy » Sun Oct 02, 2022 9:55 am

7:23 am another eagle is flying to a tree
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7:24 am
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takes off from a tree
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Re: Big Bear CA Eagle Cam - 2022 - 2023

Post by Maddy » Sun Oct 02, 2022 10:16 am

7:24 am flying by with a stick
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and delivering the stick
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Re: Big Bear CA Eagle Cam - 2022 - 2023

Post by Maddy » Sun Oct 02, 2022 10:34 am

7:24 am
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7:25 am
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Re: Big Bear CA Eagle Cam - 2022 - 2023

Post by Maddy » Sun Oct 02, 2022 10:41 am

7:27 am one is leaving
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7:28 am flying back
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delivering a stick
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Re: Big Bear CA Eagle Cam - 2022 - 2023

Post by Maddy » Sun Oct 02, 2022 11:00 am

7:28 am jumps on a branch
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7:30 am
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moving closer
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Re: Big Bear CA Eagle Cam - 2022 - 2023

Post by Maddy » Sun Oct 02, 2022 11:15 am

7:31 am leaving
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7:33 am delivering another stick
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Re: Big Bear CA Eagle Cam - 2022 - 2023

Post by Maddy » Sun Oct 02, 2022 11:38 am

7:33 am another one is leaving
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7:35 am delivering another stick
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7:36 am leaving again
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Re: Big Bear CA Eagle Cam - 2022 - 2023

Post by Maddy » Sun Oct 02, 2022 11:47 am

7:36 am back with another stick
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7:37 am
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Re: Big Bear CA Eagle Cam - 2022 - 2023

Post by Maddy » Sun Oct 02, 2022 11:59 am

7:38 am
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another one is leaving
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7:39 am coming back with another stick
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