Wood Ducks Visit NBG Eagle Nest April 28
Azalea Remains at Honey Bee Apr 24
April 25, 2012Camellia at Red Wing Lake 4/27
April 28, 2012Surprise! Surprise! At 8:06 this morning, April 28, 2012, a beautiful pair of Wood Ducks paid a brief visit to the Bald Eagle nest at Norfolk Botanical Garden. Wood Ducks breed in this region and are likely looking for a place to raise a family. They usually build their nest in a cavity or specially placed wood duck box in a swampy area. They sometimes raise two broods in a season of 10 to 14 chicks. Incubation 27 to 30 days. All the chicks in a brood fledge at the same time. Here are four eagle cam photos from this morning and a video taken from the web cam by 33Jorgey. – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuPkNSUe3A4&feature=youtu.be
14 Comments
You have to admit, we have one of the most “interesting” nests around! Thanks, Reese.
Well if the eagles aren’t laying eggs……just sayin.
LOL
“YOU JUST DONT KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN HERE, DO WE??
Reese, off wood duck topic but very much on nest topic: Can you provide more details on exactly where and when the “latest egg laid in Virginia on 4/21” happened? Year, location, fate of egg, nest and parents? Thanks muchly, I’ve been trying to catch you on the NBG blog for weeks to ask but always miss you.
That was a suprise !! hope they do not lay eggs – 90 ft would be a long drop for chicks !!!!!!!!
Oh, and BTW, the clock in the comments section appears to still be set to Eastern Standard Time, not Daylight Savings Time. I posted at 9:17 am EDT, but am seeing 8:17 am nest to my post.
Reese, thanks for posting Jorgey’s video. Now I can always find it when I want to show it to others. You have to see it to believe it!
Why is the song “Send in the Clowns” running through my head? Outstanding and interesting season even if no eggs have appeared! Thank you for providing this enlightening journey.
I need to get your opinion on something, if you have the time. 🙂 Sunday morning (4-29) on the NBG blog, Rhoda posted a video from January 30, 2012, that showed a possible ‘mystery’ female in the nest w/ the male. She made a guessing game out of it, and we all tried to identify it. In the end, she said who she thought it was, and said she’d get clarification on it. I hope that means she’s coming to you! I’m convinced it was a short visit by a female we’ve not seen before or since!! She has a perfectly white tail (can’t be #3); and, has a dark marking on her head (can’t be #2); and, her mark on the head is further back than #4’s (can’t be #4). The most compelling thing for me, however was her size: she appeared to be about the same size as the male — maybe even smaller? Her head seemd smaller than the males’ and was much sleeker. When she looked straight at the camera, her eyes were not the fierce eyes of the other females, but rather large for her head size in comparison. I know that you will know who it is — no matter what I’m saying, here — but, I’m kind of excited about the possibility that a unknown female visited Dad in the evening after #3 left, and before #2 showed up the next day! (?)
Response – I have not yet seen Rhoda’s video #4. It is quite possible that the visitor you refer to was a male rather than a female.I have looked through the photos I took on Jan 30 and do not see an eagle that appears to be a visitor. What time was the visitor at the nest?
Those are beautiful birds! Thank you! the article in R. Times 4-28 by Dr. Byrd saying bald eagles are NOT monogamous is amazing! 80% of eaglets do NOT have the nest male’s DNA
Response – Suggest you read what Dr Byrd wrote again. He did NOT say 80% of eaglets – he said IN SOME CASES.
Re: Barbara Tignor’s comment above, here is Rhoda’s post and video from 7:09 am EDT Sun 4/29 on the NBG blog:
Comment From Rhoda: Good morning Shoe, I’ve got a guessing game for the morning crew. I want them to try to figure out which female is with the male in this video. Don’t do it by date do it by the visual clues we’ve learned this season. I want to see if they come up with the same answer as me.
https://picasaweb.google.com/106076466575367436243/NBG2012#5703600751841663170
The time stamp on the above video is 1/30/2012, 17:39 EST
The above post at 4:24 pm by Robin Benedict directs you to the video of Rhoda’s that I’m speaking of. (Thank you, Robin — when I just went back to find it, I couldn’t! 🙂 It’s not one of her usual ‘series’ videos, just one she happened to be looking at that began to puzzle her. The female in the picture — according to our records — ‘should’ be #2 or #3 — but, it’s neither! Is it #4 making an early appearance — or someone else, altogether? I never considered it might be a male — that would make sense becuase of it’s size. But, do the males visit w/ each other in their nests cordially? Thanks — again!
Guess Dinner was delivering itself… Good thing the home(nest) owners didn’t come home during the visit :o)
Dr. Lukei:
I have a theory of why there are no eggs this year. I believe the male is not producing viable sperm. I have no proof of this, except the circumstance that at least 4 females have been mated, some of them more than once, and no egg fertilization. The male is the common denominator here. I know he’s had a glorious history of producing eaglets, but surely all the females he’s mated with this year are not infertile. I would like your opinion. Thanks.
Response – Many studies of bald eagles support that just the opposite is true. Males at the age of 15 are in their prime when it comes to being productive. Also first year breeding eagles, males and females, are frequently incapible of producing. The combination of the two have resulted in there being no eggs produced at the NBG nest this year.