Admin Note - I'm continuing this thread into 2019 as there aren't many posts. ~JudyB
Admin Note #2 - I'm continuing again into 2020 - I don't expect there to be a cam, but this will allow us to post updates on foster eaglet Freedom, who will be 4 this spring. ~JudyB
Admin Note #3 - Continuing again into Season 2021
Links to the start of the current and previous season's discussion in this thread:
- 2020/2021 Season starts HERE
- 2019/2020 Season starts HERE
- 2018/2019 Season starts HERE
- 2017/2018 Season starts HERE
2018 Cam Link: changes frequently - check https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC_tdT ... d4HiyELJeA for current link)
Thanks to the Carolina Raptor Center for bringing us this cam - an interesting look at two older, non-releasable eagles.
Carolina Raptor Center's Facebook page - they even answer questions there
Savannah Eagle's Facebook page - more focused on the eagles than the page above
The nest is located at the Carolina Raptor Center, near Charlotte, North Carolina. This is the first year we've watched Savannah and Luke - before that we had been watching Savannah and Derek, who had been a pair since 2004 and fledged 6 chicks (details in the next post), but had not had an egg that hatched since 2013. The Raptor Center switched Luke and Derek in November 2017, primarily because there had been some fighting and aggression in one of the other enclosures, and they felt Derek, a more passive eagle, could serve as a peacekeeper there. I'm not sure if Luke had been one of the more aggressive eagles - but the other enclosure wasn't big enough for all of them, so he was moved in with Savannah, and I believe Derek's new roommate is a male named Dante. The keepers also noted that in the wild, when a pair is not successful for several years in a row, they often split up (and we've seen this in the reports from the Institute for Wildlife Studies on the Channel Islands, where most adults have wing tags, so it's relatively easy to tell who the pairs are from lookout points with a spotting scope - they don't disturb the eagles).
Savannah and Luke seem to be comfortable sharing an enclosure - but at this point (February 2018) I don't believe anyone has seen them bonding or sitting side by side as we're used to seeing bonded pairs doing; Savannah has laid three eggs and is diligently tending them, but some of us suspect they aren't fertile (though of course we hope we're wrong about that). We also haven't seen Luke incubate the eggs (though he is often sitting nearby, perhaps guarding the nest as males often do while their mates incubate), and I don't think anyone has reported seeing him bring her food. So not only are we watching Savannah with her eggs - we may also have an opportunity to see if - and how - Savannah and Luke become a true pair.
Savannah incubates the eggs while a second camera shows Luke on a nearby perch, February 21, 2018
2018 Nesting Season
- eggs laid: seen February 10; February 13, afternoon; February 17, 4:30-5 pm
- sad news:: the eggs did not hatch, and were removed March 5 and found to be non-fertile
Links to the start of the current and previous season's discussion in this thread:
- 2020/2021 Season starts HERE
- 2019/2020 Season starts HERE
- 2018/2019 Season starts HERE
- 2017/2018 Season starts HERE
Link to the 2016-2018 Nesting Season on our former forum