by VickieP » Tue May 04, 2010 11:34 am
Sadly at some point last night a predator stole the only baby eagle from it's nest.
This is from the website:
4 May: Sad to say, but it appears the young eaglet in the Sooner Lake camera nest was killed by a predator last night. We have reviewed the archived nest camera footage, but can't see what the predator was. A Great Horned Owl, raccoon or bobcat are likely predators.
The archived footage shows the young eagle on the nest with an adult, likely the female, brooding the young eaglet by covering his head with her breast, typical behavior at this stage in the rearing cycle. The last time we can see the eaglet on the nest, the last time there is sufficient light to discern the nestling's presence with certainty, is at 8:42 pm last night, May 3rd. After that time it gets too dark to see it; however, the adult's white head can be seen in the frame until 8:45 pm. At 8:47 pm there seems to be some rapid and blurry action on the nest. There is a long gap in the video after 8:47 pm because the camera only records archival footage when it detects motion. The next video occurs at 8:08 am, May 4th. At that time the nestling is missing, and an adult lands on the nest. Our best interpretation is that a predator of unknown species caught the young on the nest at 8:47 pm last night, and the adults stayed away until 8:08 am today.
We will be sending someone qualified to assess and manage possible situations at the nest site, someone who can search for whatever clues to the eaglet's fate may be discernable.
VickieP
2014 Newmar Canyon Star 3911