NCTC - Shepherdstown, West Virginia, 2017-2018

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Debs
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NCTC - Shepherdstown, West Virginia, 2017-2018

Post by Debs » Sat Feb 24, 2018 5:21 pm

Welcome to Belle and Smitty's 2017- 2018 Nesting Season

This thread is a tribute to Belle, Smitty the resident pair at this nest and their kids :love: specifically to document the day to day events at their nest over the year. Right at the beginning of the critical phase of egg laying Belle and Smitty had to contend with an intruder; first a sub adult appeared on the nest. Later an adult eagle was seen and heard in the nest territory. These intrusions have upset the resident pair and as of Feb 24, 2018 Belle has not laid an egg yet. After their sad loss last season we hope that this pair is blessed with healthy chicks this year. We do not know if the recent intrusions have upset Belle's egg cycle or if it is something else ... we remain hopeful that things settle down and this pair is blessed with chicks this year.
A Collage Feb 22 2018 NCTC Lovees.jpg
Belle and Smitty have been spending more time in the nest performing nest repairs, bringing in new branches, mating and most recently Belle spent the night on the nest. The recent behaviors of this pair tells us that they are gearing up for the 2018 nesting season. We hope you will join us in maintaining a journal of their activities here through nest observations (NO), screen captures (scaps), pictures, reports from the ground and video footage!

Nest Location - Shepherdstown, West Virginia
This eagle nest is located approximately 75 miles from Washington, D.C. on the campus of The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services' National Conservation Training Center. The campus is in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, approximately 1/4 mile from the Potomac River. The eagle nest is on the west side of the National Conservation Training Center campus, about 100 feet high in a large sycamore tree, and is about 6 feet across and 5 feet deep, and weights several hundred pounds. It is made of branches and large sticks with a softer grass and leaf lining. Over the past couple of years there was been concern that the nest tree is dying ... so hopefully this pair is looking to build a new nest soon.
105 2018-02-15, 21_52_01.jpg
Belle & Smitty's - Resident Pair - 2011 - Present

Belle and Smitty became a couple after the long time resident male, Liberty went missing in the spring of 2011; Smitty first appeared as an Intruder around the same time Liberty disappeared. Belle initially rejected Smitty she treated him like an intruder, but this young smitten male refused to give up and eventually over a period of months Belle warmed up to him and accepted him as her new mate.

2012 was Belle and Smitty's first nesting season together and it was a memorable season. As Smitty was a young male this was his first nesting season so there were many "firsts" during the season. Belle and Smitty were also a brand new pair building a relationship and raising two young together for the first time. There were many memorable moments in 2012. Smitty's youth was obvious as he was still sporting a few dark feathers on top of his head and a few blended into his tail feathers as well. We could sense his awkwardness as he learned to cope with his new role(s). Watching Smitty mature as a loving parent was definitely one of the highlights of the 2012 season especially watching him feed his sweet baby chicks for the very first time.

All of us here were touched by the "magic of this beautiful pair" and we look forward to watching Belle and Smitty and their kids for
many more seasons too.

2018 Important Milestones
Mating seen at Nest: Dec 2017
Adults Return: This pair does not migrate they remain in the nest area all year long as there is food aplenty.
Intrusions: Young Eagle heard but not fully seen Dec 31, 2017; Jan 27, 2018 - Sub Adult Eagle - Landed in Nest; confronted Mom on nest; spent time in the nest doing restorations! Another intrusion occurred in Feb ... a second mature eagle was seen on the nest. The resident pair were on alert much of February; the intrusions were likely the delay in eggs at this nest.

2018 Nesting Season
The season got off to a late start likely due to intruders that threatened the resident pair.

Egg Laid: Feb 26, 2018

After the egg was laid things came to a head at the nest ... a territorial dispute left Belle with a significant injury! Belle landed on nest and she appeared to have issues standing and with mobility. Her wing or leg (perhaps both) were injured! Several different eagles appeared at the nest and Belle and Smitty did their very best to defend their nest and their egg. After the territorial dispute Belle failed to return to her nest ... many of us watching feared she died from her injuries. Over the course of several weeks and months there were different females and possibly a new male seen at the nest. On May 31, 2018, after a severe thunderstorm storm the live and still cams went down. 2018 was a very sad season at this nest!



Here is a capture of one of the intruders and Belle! There were many different intruders seen at this nest!
052 2018-01-27, 17_16_05.jpg
Belle and Smitty - Season Highlights 2011 to 2017
2017 - Two Chicks; both chicks died shortly after hatch (chick one within 24 hours and the second chick died on Day 3).
2016 - Two Chicks; both fledged; we called them Big and Lil One; New PTZ Cam; Owl Intrusion March 30; Mom protected the kids! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1o2G3YP4ys
2015 - Three Chicks - one died at 10 days old; may have been accidentally crushed; two chicks fledged
2014 - Two Chicks - both fledged; we called the chicks Big and Lil
2013 - Two Chicks; both fledged; we called the chicks Kate and Will
2012 - Two Chicks; both fledged; we called the chicks Big and Lil
2011 - Smitty becomes Belle's new mate late in the season

Important Dates - 2017 Nesting Season
1st Night Female Spends on Nest - Jan 7 2017 - Belle spent night on the nest.
She stayed 13 hours on the nest (556 pm to 7 am)
Eggs Laid: 2 - Feb 17, Feb 20 2017
Hatched: Mar 26, Mar 28 2017
First chick died shortly after hatch.
Second chick started to show signs of stress in the early evening of Day 3; not interested in eating; Belle did not brood the chick at night fall; chick appeared sluggish. After dark the chick could be heard peeping. April 1 There was no sign of the chick; presumed it passed away during the night; Mom removed the body from the nest. Heartbreak for this pair!

Intrusions: This pair has occasionally experienced threats from other eagles, as well as, Owls.

Here are some dates that the intrusions occurred.
Intrusions: Dec 23 2016 - Adult - Young - Likely 4.5 years old; visited the nest; mostly white head and tail feathers; some dark feathers blended in tail and head feathers but nearly all white.
Intrusions: Dec 24, 2016 - Immature Adult - Visited Nest - Likely around 3 years old
Intrusions: Feb 25, 2017 - Young Adult Eagle - Entered nest; Dad lunged at it chased it out of the nest; two eggs appear unharmed.
Intrusions: Feb 26 2017 - Intruder Above the Nest - No visual

Belle and Liberty - The Lovees - First Resident Pair - 2002 to 2011 :wub:
Belle and Liberty were the first resident bald eagle pair at this nest. This pair was very devoted to each other and everyone watching via live bald eagle cam grew to love watching their sweet interaction as a pair. Belle and Liberty were attentive parents to their young and they spent ten years together fledging a total of 11 chicks!

When Liberty disappeared in 2011 just a day or two before the hatch of the first chick was to occur ...it was indeed a sad turn of events at this nest. Liberty's absence had devastating consequences for Belle and the newly hatched chick. A young male eagle arrived on the scene around the same time ... his presence kept Belle on the nest leaving no opportunity for her to hunt and at the same time protect and care for her new baby chick. Belle stayed with her chick protecting her from the intruder. Sadly the baby chick died of starvation; it was a heart breaking loss for Belle and everyone watching via live eagle cam. The Intruder entered the nest and Belle pushed him off the nest. Sadly Liberty was not seen again and sometime later staffers at NCTC found the carcass of a dead eagle ... likely Liberty.

Belle & Liberty - 10 Wonderful Seasons Together
2002 - Belle and Liberty take up residence at the NCTC near the Potomac River
2003 – Belle and Liberty establish their territory & work on their nest
2004 – Belle laid her first egg on Valentines Day; Belle & Liberty raised & fledged two chicks
2005 – Belle and Liberty raised and fledged one chick
2006 – Belle and Liberty raised and fledged Triplets
2007 – Belle laid three eggs; none survived the spring storms
2008 - Belle and Liberty successfully raised and fledged Triplets
2009 – Belle laid three eggs only one hatched and successfully fledged
2010 - Belle laid four eggs during fierce winter storms; one egg survived nicknamed “Spring” & she successfully fledged
2011 – Belle laid two eggs; resident male Liberty disappears just prior to the hatch; likely deceased; intruder arrives and threatens the family; one chick hatched but died from starvation as Belle was not able to leave the nest to hunt. Intruder is eventually accepted by Belle as her new mate; the new male was nicknamed Smitty as he was so smitten with Belle.


Important Links
The live cam was down most of the fall but it is live now for the 2018 nesting season]

Link to the 2017 NCTC Nesting Season
http://www.hancockwildlife.org/forum/vi ... ue#1048516
Link to the 2016 NCTC Nesting Season
http://www.hancockwildlife.org/forum/vi ... pic=816353

Link to live bald eagle web pan tilt zoom cam view
http://outdoorchannel.com/eaglecam

Still Cam can be found here
http://www.fws.gov/nctc/cam/stillimage.html

Here are some Face Book sites that support and provide information on Belle, Smitty.

Bald Eagles 101
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1690426617860075/

Outdoor Channel Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/LiveEagleCam ........... Live Eagle Cam

Eagle Cam Updates from the NCTC & Outdoor Channel are shared here
http://outdoorchannel.com/content.aspx?id=3933

Friends of the National Conservation Training Center

http://www.friendsofnctc.org/index.htm

Hatch Timelines
Experience shows that the first egg often hatches around Day 38 and the second egg hatches a bit earlier often Day 36 or 37 as a result of the "cooling period" of the first egg thereby promoting a closer hatch of the eggs. Once all the eggs are laid then the birds generally incubate the eggs continuously. In 2014 Belle cooled the egg one night for 6 hours straight and we speculated it was because she had a third egg to lay, which turned out to be the case.

Here is the Hatch Timelines for 2016 for comparison purposes.
Hatch Timelines 2016 NCTC Nesting Season.JPG
Posting Guidelines
We welcome all observations and discussions about eagles here and we ask all members to treat each other with mutual respect.
For continuity please use this video symbol to introduce your video :vid:
Please keep bold and color text to a minimum.
Please do not use animated or altered screen captures here.
Smilies are okay please limit them; no smilies in the body of the nest observations.
Please limit the pictures in each post to no more than a total of 150,000 bytes (150KB) and to avoid horizontal scrolling pictures or scaps (screen captures) may not exceed 500 pixels wide - though it's fine to post a 500-pixel-wide thumbnail that clicks to a much larger picture. Three captures per post is recommended.
From time to time we may deleting posts that are not directly related to maintaining an accurate journal here.

Recognition and Thanks :ty:

Our small team here at HWF would like to extend our warmest thanks to everyone that contributes to our journal here ... your nest observations, screen captures, pictures, reports from the ground and video footage helps to document the daily events at this nest making the educational experience more enjoyable thank you.

We look forward to another wonderful season growing along side of Belle, Smitty and their kids :wub:

Debs
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Posts: 518
Joined: Feb 16, 2018

Re: 2018 NCTC Nesting Season - Shepherdstown, West Virginia

Post by Debs » Sat Feb 24, 2018 8:01 pm

2002 to 2018 - Belle, Liberty & Smitty - Season Highlights
NCTC History 2002 to 2018.JPG
Map of Nest Area
NCTC Map.jpg
NCTC Map.jpg (26.72 KiB) Viewed 7908 times
Here are some captures that show a bit of the territory that surrounds the nest.
NCTC View from the nest.jpg

Debs
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Re: 2018 NCTC Nesting Season - Shepherdstown, West Virginia

Post by Debs » Sat Feb 24, 2018 8:21 pm

Some screen captures from past seasons

Smitty 2012 sporting his small patch of dark feathers blended with his white head feathers
2012 Smitty.jpg
2012 Smitty.jpg (37.23 KiB) Viewed 7907 times
Belle 2010 - Winter Storm
Feb 21 2010 Belle.jpg
Feb 21 2010 Belle.jpg (29.89 KiB) Viewed 7907 times
Belle and Liberty - Winter Storms - 2010
Belle and Liberty Feb 10 2010 Spring Storms.jpg

Debs
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Re: 2018 NCTC Nesting Season - Shepherdstown, West Virginia

Post by Debs » Sun Feb 25, 2018 7:49 am

Belle and liberty 2002 to 2011
Belle and Liberty Bonding.jpg
Belle and Liberty Bonding.jpg (65.42 KiB) Viewed 7894 times
Winter Storms
Winter storms Jan Feb 2010 Belle and Liberty incubate the eggs.jpg
Winter storms Jan Feb 2010 Belle and Liberty incubate the eggs.jpg (13.39 KiB) Viewed 7894 times
Belle or Liberty Incubating Feb 2010.jpg
Belle or Liberty Incubating Feb 2010.jpg (19.73 KiB) Viewed 7894 times

Debs
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Re: 2018 NCTC Nesting Season - Shepherdstown, West Virginia

Post by Debs » Sun Feb 25, 2018 2:17 pm

Reserved

Debs
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Posts: 518
Joined: Feb 16, 2018

Re: 2018 NCTC Nesting Season - Shepherdstown, West Virginia

Post by Debs » Sun Feb 25, 2018 2:17 pm

Reserved

Debs
Forum Assistant
Posts: 518
Joined: Feb 16, 2018

Re: 2018 NCTC Nesting Season - Shepherdstown, West Virginia

Post by Debs » Sun Feb 25, 2018 2:17 pm

Reserved

Debs
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Posts: 518
Joined: Feb 16, 2018

Re: NCTC - Shepherdstown, West Virginia - 2018

Post by Debs » Sun Feb 25, 2018 8:59 pm

Feb 25, 2018

The adults were in the nest quite a bit today and we heard mating in the tree at least twice.

I love the early am visits to the nest.
131 2018-02-25, 11_42_09.jpg
132 2018-02-25, 11_42_23.jpg
135 2018-02-25, 11_43_10.jpg

Debs
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Re: NCTC - Shepherdstown, West Virginia - 2018

Post by Debs » Sun Feb 25, 2018 9:12 pm

Dad was super busy today bringing in sticks and doing restorations.
151 2018-02-25, 11_55_19.jpg
As a pair they worked together to move crib rails and loosen up the egg cup area.
308 2018-02-25, 22_09_36.jpg
315 2018-02-25, 22_10_48.jpg

Debs
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Re: NCTC - Shepherdstown, West Virginia - 2018

Post by Debs » Sun Feb 25, 2018 9:16 pm

Dad was determined to remove some of the green bark and he did a good job of it.
317 2018-02-25, 22_12_58.jpg
Momma Belle did her share too.
318 2018-02-25, 22_14_09.jpg
Dad takes a graceful departure from the nest.
319 2018-02-25, 22_16_02.jpg

Debs
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Re: NCTC - Shepherdstown, West Virginia - 2018

Post by Debs » Mon Feb 26, 2018 6:04 am

Feb 26 2018

Morning Doreen, Terri and Friends of this nest :bye 1:

Belle and Smitty were in the nest together just before dawn. They did some restorations and tracked their territory.

It was a long visit; Mom left first then Dad followed here out.
Feb 26 Royal Pair Lovees.JPG
Feb 26 The Royal Pair.JPG
008 2018-02-26, 06_49_09.jpg

Debs
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Re: NCTC - Shepherdstown, West Virginia - 2018

Post by Debs » Mon Feb 26, 2018 4:52 pm

Eggciting news ... Belle laid her first egg of the 2018 nesting season this afternoon.
So so happy for Belle and Smitty they are so deserving of this ...

Will do a video shortly and post it after it uploads to Utube.

Dino
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Joined: Feb 24, 2018

Re: NCTC - Shepherdstown, West Virginia - 2018

Post by Dino » Mon Feb 26, 2018 5:22 pm

Great news here. They deserve a great year.

Debs
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Re: NCTC - Shepherdstown, West Virginia - 2018

Post by Debs » Mon Feb 26, 2018 6:48 pm

:vid:

Feb 26, 2018 - Belle Lays 1st Egg - 355 pm - Feb 26, 2018
https://youtu.be/CElh2_6w1Y8

Debs
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Re: NCTC - Shepherdstown, West Virginia - 2018

Post by Debs » Mon Feb 26, 2018 10:21 pm

Dino :wave:

Congrats to Belle & Smitty on their first egg of the 2018 Nesting Season :rh:
A Collage Feb 26 2018 Belle Lays First Egg of Season.jpg

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