February 27, 2014

February 22, 2014. Looks like the Lake Casitas Eagles are incubating.

Incubating, Deliveries, Egg Rolls, Shimmies & Flight_2-22-14
http://youtu.be/QwKZ7ULP6Lk

12:30pm The male delivered a food gift before I had a chance to get my recorder set up.
While the female eats, the male incubates.
After the male breaks a branch off a nearby tree, he delivers it to the nest and eats a nest over while the female incubates.
The four hours I was at the nest, the female did not leave the nest.

This picture is a screen capture (from video far away) of the female incubating just after the male delivered a stick to the nest.


Determined to provide for his mate.
(photo by Leon Hillewaert)


The male shortly after delivering prey to the female.
(photo by Leon Hillewaert)

Nest visit on Monday, February 24, 2014

Linda Frazier photo and observation.
"This was a switch at the nest. One eagle had been eating on a limb. Not sure what he had but it was caught in the field because it still had dried grass on it.. his beak is dirty too… He jumped off the limb, clutching his food and did a fly around the tree which signaled the other eagle to leave the nest and fly out to meet and greet. The one with the food then went to the nest to incubate. Other eagle flew off."

What spectacular pictures - thank you so much for bringing them here, Judy Lynn - and thanks to the photographers!

This is a bit off-topic - but is important to HWF - and if you look at the collage, you might see a picture you recognize!

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Hi everyone!

What Does It Take to Make a Forum...?

I realize that we've mentioned our need for money (and for people to help us with fundraising beyond what we do here) quite a bit lately, so I'll just note that this isn't just a place to watch and report on four eagle nests - it's so much more! Here are images from a sampling of our hundreds of other threads (this clicks bigger):


We're watching penguins in Antarctica, albatrosses in Hawaii, eagles, osprey, pandas, falcons and more - not to mention having some spectacular pictures taken by our members of the wildlife in their own neighborhoods and back yards - click here for information on the thread each picture represents and the person who took the screenshot or photograph I used (thank you all!).

We have over 600,000 posts here - and I'm guessing over a million attached images - and there is a cost for all of that.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ please ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I know many of you have already sent in a donation - and I thank you all for your support!

And we do know that financial donations aren't the best way for everyone to contribute - so I'd like to take a moment here to also thank those who help out on the forum and website, and those who watch and control the cams and report and take s'caps and make videos - and make this the educational resource it was meant to be, and those who keep things running smoothly on facebook and the various chat threads and all sorts of places that I'm only now learning about, and our content providers who add a whole 'nother level to the data on our forum by reporting on an amazing variety of wildlife. Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart. And thank you all on behalf of Hancock Wildlife Foundation - it's you who make this such a marvelous resource.

But I also think there may be some people who are more interested in the things we have to offer beyond our primary cams - and I'm appealing to you. We need your help to keep the forum and website running for another year.

There will be someone in the office today (August 27) to take calls to our 800 number (1-800-938-1114, toll free in Canada and the United States), or you can choose one of our other Five Easy Ways to Donate.

Thank you for your consideration - and for all that you do!


Photo Credits: Thanks to algonquinlover, anna-holland, BET, byline, cococat9, debs, deewerms, eaglewoman, edkeagle, elle, Ferenz, Gabi, gemini, golden1, HikerBikerGram, IrishEyes, Janet Preston, JudyB, Karen Saunders, lianaliesma, Linda Frazier, Lonette, MaryF, mia, mjb, ostrich, queenie, sassyk, shrub, SMW, sunshinecoast and urdognu for the wonderful screenshots and photographs I used in the collage - and I could have easily made one twice as big with equally wonderful pictures from other threads, if only there were a few more days in the week!

The Lake Casitas Eagles are spending more time at the nest for the 2017 nesting season.
Hoping to add a summary of the past couple seasons here with some photos soon.

Original Male and female (K97) feeling the biology for a new season. Dec. 6 2016.

Thanks for the photos, Judy Lynn. I wasn't aware of an eagle nest at Ojai. Too bad my brother and I didn't know about it when we visited there a couple of years ago. I see that one of the birds has been tagged by Dr. Sharpe. I hope he has been informed as we always do when one of his eagles is spotted up our way.

Hi Karen. Sorry it has taken so long to respond. I was hoping to keep up with the Lake Casitas Hancock page as best as I could...I have created a FB page (2013) of the Lake Casitas eagles and have the history documented there. It is an interesting situation. We have been keeping Dr. Sharpe informed about the goings on at Lake Casitas with the eagles. https://www.facebook.com/LakeCasitasEaglesOjai/

Hi!!! I stopped by the nest early afternoon and found the female perched near the nest tree. Grabbed a quick shot from Teacup #3 picnic area. By the time I hoofed up the hill and just under the nest tree, she departed over the lake. She ended up flying with a mature Red-tailed hawk with some talon interaction between the two. Golly gee, I tried so hard to follow with my camera but they were so far away. It was fun to watch. I finally lost the female flying east of Santa Ana road. I think the perched bird is a juvenile red-tailed hawk, perched in one of the trees below Teacup #1 - just under the nest tree.

Resident female (K97 from Channel Islands) bottom right surveying her territory. Nest upper left.


Female flying over the lake.


Female interacting with a Ret-tailed hawk...

Finally getting this posted here.... the video of the new female, K97 from the Channel Islands, taking over the Lake Casitas Nest on 4/4/2015.
Please note... this was April 4, 2015.


The new female, K97 and the original male fledged two chicks July 2016. K97 and the original male have been working on the nest and it is hoped that they will lay in late February or early March, 2017.

Nest Failure; WARNING: portions of this video may be disturbing
http://youtu.be/pWcm4W7P4wM
Video captured/edited at Lake Casitas on 4/4/2015 by UrDogNu

The intruding female had already removed the first newly hatched chick two days earlier. The deceased chick was retrieved below the nest and taken to the Ojai Raptor Center.
The portion that may be disturbing for some to watch has a large WARNING caption just prior to the footage. K97 (intruding female who ousted and injured the resident female this past week) seems to have been around all day (until just now). Saturday afternoon update Early this afternoon the male started his short flights again. Shortly after 2pm he took off and 97 moved into the nest and appeared to be de-furring or de-downing something and then eating. He returned around 2:25. There was some mild beaking going on, and then they hung out in the nest together. He perched in a tree on the far right side and she stayed in the nest, and then he flew back to the nest. Now she’s off flying around.
4 pm update: She still hasn't been back. He isn't in the nest anymore. He flies around then perches nearby.
Other videos of Lake Casitas from previous two seasons: http://bit.ly/1C3WMvW
Lake Casitas FaceBook page: www.facebook.com/LakeCasitasEaglesOjai