Delta2 2017 - 2018 Observation and Discussion Thread

[Pat B]

DELTA 2 - 2017 - 2018 OBSERVATION AND DISCUSSION

In the late summer/early fall of 2015 there was a mad scramble to make a starter nest for the Delta 2 pair.
Why? A summer storm overnight on August 28th/29th had completely snapped the tree they were in - dumping the huge nest on the ground!
Could a starter nest be made before they returned - would they take to it and build again?

After extra donations and some hard work - just in time - a starter nest was built in the tree we had been calling the Barn Tree.

Link to last year's discussion thread

So here we are at the start of another year - 2017/2018
Just waiting for our first sighting of the eagle's return.

New Delta 2 Live Cams Page: https://www.hancockwildlife.org/delta-2-cams/

LINK TO THE OLD ARCHIVES (pre April 11, 2018).
http://archive.wildearth.tv/video-archives

NOTE: WildEarth stopped streaming our cams on April 10, 2018, so the archives are for dates before that. And Thank You WildEarth for your many years of supporting our cams!

[Pat B]

Timeline 2017/2018

Eagles return:
Dad - To the area - Adults seen on the towers and poles from Oct. 2nd to Oct. 6th. Cannot confirm if they were Ma and/or Pa, but could be as these poles are considered their territory.
Mum - to the area -

Actually in the nest -
Dad - Oct 7th
Mum - Oct 11th

Eggs Laid:
First egg: Saturday, March 3, 2:57 pm
Second egg: Tuesday, March 6, 2:50 pm

Chicks hatched:
First hatch: Wednesday, April 11, 8:05 pm (39 days)
Second hatch: Thursday, April 12, 6:56 am (37 days)

Named: Dusk and Dawn, for the time of day they hatched

Last Confirmed Sighting of Pa:
June 1, 2018, 4:57 pm (the link is when he left the nest tree at 4:52 pm; he and Ma then went to the evergreen trees, and he flew off from there at 4:57 while Ma continued to perch there for at least another hour)

First Branching:
Dawn, on branch beside the nest, Thursday, June 14, 6:48 am (63 days old - 9 weeks)
Dusk, a little higher, Friday, June 22, 7:08 pm (72 days old) (he had been perching on the edge of the nest frequently for the previous week or so - not on a branch, but quite similar to Dawn's "one-step" little branch)

Fledge date:
Dusk: Saturday, June 30, 6:51 am (80 days)
Dawn: Wednesday, July 4, 9:30 am (83 days)

Last Seen:
Dusk and Dawn together (last confirmed sighting of Dusk): Monday, July 16, 2:50 pm
Dawn: July 17, 12:04 pm
Ma: July 23
male eagle AME/Trooper: August 2

[Pat B]

Pre Adoptions for 2018-2019 are now available!

This Nest has been Pre-Adopted By:

~ Irish Eyes
~ Bonnie (txsun)
~ Sandy_W
~ Katheryn Leszczynski and Ray Townsend
~ Jean
~ Yolande Proctor
~ Pat B
~ Gail and Ivan Morris
~ JudyB

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nest Adoptions for 2017-2018 are now available!

September 2017 - August 2018

This Nest has been Adopted By:

~ Gia, Roman, Ava
~ Y. A. Proctor
~ Gail and Ivan Morris
~ Jean Bobbett
~ Dave and Lydia Schoen
~ JudyB
~ In memory of Mary Scott, Bev aka Irish Eyes
~ Helen Nimz
~ Mr and Mrs Lantz_56
~ Pat B
- Carrie Miller
- Leslie & Pam, Eastport NY
- Shirley (luvtheanimals)

Previous Adopters Wall of Honor

2013
2014
2015
2015/2016
2016/2017

You too can honor your favorite fine feathered family -
and support the work of Hancock Wildlife -
by adopting the HWF nest of your choice - click here to see how!

[Pat B]

Parts of an eagle's foot

How to ID Dad
There is a small spot on the upper right of his right eye.

He has loose white feathers around the nape.

[Pat B]

S'caps submitted by Martina1065

Ma and Pa: Several differences can be seen.

Ma's head is rounder and Pa's is more flat & sleek
Ma has a little bit of a "V" above her beak
Ma's beak (the yellow area) goes a bit farther back under her eye than Pa's
Their collars change over time I think but we all know to look for those tell-tell white feathers at the back of Pa's collar.
Lav used to say that you could tell by Pa's skinny legs and she says he looks at his feet a lot LOL
Very subtle differences that can be missed when it is windy.

ADDED: The male is smaller than the female. The female has bulkier shoulders (like a linebacker). David says this is so the female can properly support the male's weight on her back during mating.

Here is a comparison picture..............side by side taken by Jean. February, 2017

[Pat B]

reserved

[Pat B]

reserved

[Jean]

2017 - 2018
Delta2 Discussion Forum
(Summary from October 2017 to February 2018)

Ma and Pa at Delta2 returned on time last Fall as expected. We began to see adults around in the area on October 2nd, 2017, possibly both were our pair but it was not until October 7th that we were able to confirm that Pa had returned from his migration safe and sound, when he landed in the nest at that time for a brief check of the nest. Both Ma and Pa came to the nest together on October 11th so we then knew for sure that our pair was back home together to begin a new season at Delta.

It has been a positive start to the year with Ma and Pa doing what we’d expect. A variety of prey has been brought to the nest, mostly ducks. Our eagles have eaten well. Ma and Pa have been seen keeping watch over their territory from all their regular perching spots near the nest. There have been a variety of intruders around the area, hawks, Great Horned owls, barn owls, sub adults and adults. A few chases have occurred to fend off unwanted intruders. Even a peregrine falcon was spotted perching in our tree a couple of times. Our eagles have spent lots of time bringing in sticks to the nest to shore up the sides of the nest as well as several interesting clumps of grasses. A corn stalk even arrived a few days ago which we can only assume was obtained from the fields somewhere below the nest. Ma has been doing well, with next to no limping at all so we are hopeful that her leg will give her only minimal discomfort this year as she tends to her incubating chores and looking after any eaglets in the nest. Ma and Pa have been observed mating several times now so things look to be on track for egg laying somewhere in the early part of March.

If anyone would like further details about events prior to this post, please go to this link:

http://www.hancockwildlife.org/forum/vi ... ic=1034237

[Cheryldavis]

I love the new Forum and as the night person, it is fun to be the first to post properly!

Nest has a lot of snow.

[Sandy_W]

I too love the look of the new forum and especially love the drag and drop function with the images. Wonderfully easy to do. Took a look at the rollback to find Ma and Pa in the snowy nest at 1:25 am nest time.

[Sandy_W]

Just watching Ma and Pa gingerly pick at the snow and interact with each other around 1:30 am nest time. Pa was still on the outer branch when I opened the cam at 3:08 am nest time this morning.

[Cheryldavis]

Seeing your message I went on the cams to take a look and sure enough one of them is there!

I will monitor them for about half an hour but then I have to go out.

[Cheryldavis]

3.50am I am OFF the cams.

Got to go out now.

6.08 am Back on cams Ma? Still on branch.

Then both came on to the nest, both had a quick lie down on the snow and then they left. Still too dark to pan out and look for them.

6.20 am I am OFF the cams Sue!

[SueB]

7:15 am - Good Morning Delta 2 Viewers! I am in on the cams and it seems quiet this morning. The flag is gently moving, no one on the pole next to it.

[SueB]

7:19 am - as I was zooming in on the first tower/pole, one of our eagles was just flying off to the left.

[SueB]

7:28 am - Both neighbors are at home.

[SueB]

No one on the center tower

Looks like we have a few someones out by and on the distant evergreen tree

[SueB]

An eagle on the poles by the water

A few eagles in the tree by the water

And it looks like there may be an eagle on the ground by the water

[SueB]

No one on the Delta Port pole

Our one eagle is still on the first pole

2018-02-24 10_45_21-.jpg (31.06 KiB) Viewed 13736 times

[SueB]

I thought our eagle was getting ready to leave the first pole but they are still there.

As I was bringing the cam back to the nest I took one last look at the evergreen tree and there is a visitor. Looks too small to be an eagle, so I'm thinking it's a hawk.

Time for me to go. I am off the cams now. Everyone have a great Saturday!

[SueB]

[SueB]

Was looking at the archives but they don't seem to be working, but the thumbnails are there. From the rollback it looks like at around 9:25 am one of our eagles came in and perched on this branch and flew off less than a minute later.

[SueB]

9:32 am - From the rollback - Pa came to the nest. He brought a stick with him and placed it.

[SueB]

9:34 am - from the rollback - Pa looked around for a couple minutes and then flew up to the branch. I haven't seen any other visits to the nest since then and up until 10:35 am.

[Sandy_W]

11:43 am logging into both cams to take a look around.

[Jean]

11:43am........... Good morning Delta2 friends! Wow, thanks so much Sandy, Sue and Cheryl for being here to start the posts on our new forum! I am late getting here.............we did indeed have a huge dump of snow since yesterday and I've spent the morning shoveling. I am glad you could all find your way here............things are looking good.

[Sandy_W]

Found two eagles at the tower.

[Sandy_W]

And what do we have here?

[Sandy_W]

A beautiful juvie...what about three years old maybe? Someone may know better than me.

[Sandy_W]

This beautiful bird is still visiting the nest. Heard a bit of eagle chatter and checked the nest tree but did not see our eagles.