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Hello everyone!! (Nightowl, Doug, bruner, gemini2kd, all)

It makes you wonder why they built the nest up so high this season? The winds? Was there more windy days the past month or so? Were the temperatures colder? It's like I want to get into their heads to figure it out, but then realize that such a thing is impossible. We do know that Alexandra and David managed to pounce the beegeebers out of the nest last year and maybe this year Ma and Pa decided they'd better add extra "padding". I mean, didn't they take some of the wood housing off the CU cam last year? Talk about little stinkers !

I too would get Ma and Pa confused at times. I often would look at their behavior to tell the difference. If it rained, then all bets would be off as both of them would have wigged out "do's"!!

Will be looking forward to Aprill 22nd! Thanks NIghtowl! It may be difficult to know if/when another egg is laid under the circumstances. It is so exciting nonetheless!!! Thanks for the updates Doug!

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2012

Hornby Weather

Congrat's Doug on having another healthy season with Mom and Dad Hornby. So great to hear they are well and having a egg to start the season off .Great news ! Many of us from White Rock are wishing you and your family well.

THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2012

Hornby Weather

We looked out this morning and spotted another spawn - very thin and far out in front of our house but getting larger further south and past Tralee Point. Tralee Point is about 1 1/2 miles south. We jumped in our car and checked from Tralee Point to Whaling Station Bay (another 2 miles south of Tralee Point). The spawn was very strong in this area. I have never seen such a sharp contrast between the dark blue of the sea and the pale glacial blue of the spawn.

The spawning is very late, Usually it occurs in the period centered around the 9th of the month, but this is now the 22nd. Th spawn is supposed to be triggered by the water temperature and the amount of light. On the west coast we have had a dreary cold spring - a spring which we feel has not occurred yet - so maybe that accounts for the late spawn.

From the herring's point of view: one male can impregnate thousands of females in one episode: a female never knows who the father of her offspring is. So much for today.

Good evening Hornby!

Thanks for that info Doug! I'm thinking you're most likely right about the spawning. When I check the weather for Hornby, it seems really cool compared to what we have here. (although, our spring has been warmer and earlier than usual) I thought you had a fairly mild winter, but the temps don't seem to be going up accordingly...they're staying basically the same. If I could, I'd blow up some of our warmer weather, and really get a spawn going!

Wonder if Ma and Pa are heading for those spawning herring?

FRIDAY, MARCH 23, 2012

Hornby Weather

Surprise! Another big spawn this morning, starting at Grassy Point just north of us and running past our house, into Hidden Beach, around Standstone Point and on to Tralee Point. This is accompanied by the usual seals, sea lions, ducks, gulls and hundreds of eagles. At one point there were 40 eagles picking out herring just 50 feet out from our beach.

I have always visualized two groups of eagles - the married ones and the unmarried ones. The married ones have selected territories, have built nests and are very much attached to their home territories. They go on brief migrations for spawning salmon for 1 1/2 months (mid-August to October 1) but otherwise stay close to home.

The unmarried ones travel around wherever there is food - the one year old eagles following the four and five year olds who have been on the food circuits before. Over this period they learn all the tricks of finding food and also meet attractive future mates.

One thing that puzzled me about all the migrating eagles that come to Hornby is that they should all be immature eagles, but in fact around 40 % of them appear to be adults. However, a thing I have been working on lately is having a closer look at the adults. Quite often, ones that appear to be adults are not quite there yet. They still have brown feathers mixed in their white head feathers, or the tips of their tails still are edged with dark feathers. So a greater percent are immatures than appears to be the case.

And there is still the possibility that all eagles don't partner up the moment they show signs of being mature. Some may still be single eagles at age six or even seven. So that would all tie into my totally unproven hypothesis that the migrating eagles on the food-circuit are all single eagles. Partnered eagles would be sitting on eggs and staying home.