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Sutton Center Bald Eagle Nest Camera 2009 |
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An incredible, 4-egg clutch was laid last year in early February, 2008!
What will happen this year? Watch and find out! |
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The Sutton Avian Research Center is dedicated
to finding cooperative conservation solutions
for birds and the
natural world through science and education,
and is a part of the Oklahoma
Biological Survey at the University
of Oklahoma.
Our Bald Eagle nest cam provides an intimate view of a wild
Oklahoma Bald Eagle nest. Children and adults from
Oklahoma and around the world
can observe life in an eagle nest, and scientists can make observations that
will
help us better understand the life history of our national symbol.
This nest is on OG&E property at
Sooner Lake north of Stillwater, Oklahoma. The original dead nest tree used by this
pair of eagles fell down.
OG&E, with technical assistance from the Sutton Center and financial
assistance from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
erected an artificial tower which these eagles have adopted successfully.
For additional information about nesting Bald Eagles, scroll
down this page.
| NOTE: The video may
take up to 30 seconds to begin. Camera dates are shown in yy/mm/dd format. |
To view the video, we recommend using the latest version of your browser, the latest version of the free Adobe Flash
Player, and that your browser and firewall security and multimedia settings allow flash
video. |
This camera project would not have been
possible without the support of: Atlas Computers, Inasmuch Foundation,
NatureWorks, Newfield Foundation, OG&E, OneNet, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation,
The John Steele Zink Foundation, and the Oklahoma Biological Survey at the University of Oklahoma's College of
Arts and Sciences
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Do you like our eagle cam and want to help support our research, conservation, and education work? You can help by making a tax-deductible donation securely online using your credit/debit card or PayPal account. (This button will take you to a
secure server for payment.)
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***The video image may at times be unavailable due to technical
problems or heavy user demand.***
We monitor the camera daily and do try to keep it working.
2009 nesting season events and information:
19 June: Recently fledged Bald Eagles
are often at a higher than optimal weight for flying,
and they may have little interest in or need for food. They might only eat
something every other day,
so it can be easy to miss seeing a meal. The eaglet continues to do well.
17 June: The eaglet continues to remain
in the vicinity of the nest, perching in trees most
of the time. This is completely normal behavior for a fledgling eagle. We are
sometimes able to locate
it by searching with our WideCam to maintain the viewing opportunity a little
longer.
16 June: Nest cam watchers observed the
eaglet fly off of the nest early this morning!
It is possible that it will make occasional reappearances at the nest in the
coming days or weeks
(kind of like a hungry college student!). The adults will likely continue
bringing
food to and using the nest for a while, and you may still catch a glimpse of the
eaglet.
Many have asked to see video of the fledging. Our archive did not record
that few seconds of behavior, but here is a link to a 10-minute YouTube video
someone from
the Maine eagle discussion group caught:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiQ0VPhbXzQ.
A short clip of the flight can be viewed at
http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll40/MaineEagleLovers/Sooner%20Lake%20Eagles/Animationsooner061609fledge.gif
9 June: The eaglet is now old enough to
go to the bar. Well, fly up to the crossbar, that is! She
(we think it is a she based on size and behavior) is exercising her wings with
this short hop. The
adults spend very little time at the nest, primarily dropping off a fish once or
twice a day.
29 May: While watching the WideCam, we
have noticed Scissor-tailed Flycatchers in the vicinity
of the nest. As aerial insectivores, they perch on or below the nest and watch
for flying insects to
capture in flight. So, we have the state bird of Oklahoma and our national
symbol together at once!
27 May: All is well at the nest.
The eaglet may begin making short flights within a few weeks.
It will likely continue to spend time at the nest after its initial flights.
19 May: As the eaglet matures, it
requires less care and the adults spend less and less time at the nest.
The eaglet continues to be fed by the adults every day. The gender of the eaglet
cannot be determined
accurately without surgical inspection, though females are usually larger than
males. Our eagle experts
think this eaglet is a female based on their past experience and from watching
its behavior.
7 May: The chick is showing less and
less gray down and more and more dark feathers.
6 May: We hope to be able to get a nest
cam working again this week or next, so that we, like you, can
continue to monitor the growth of the eaglet. Forecasted rainy weather this week
may continue
to cause power problems intermittently. In the coming week we will be installing
a
fresh set of deep-cycle batteries, as well as a small wind generator
that will supplement the solar power, and will be mounted in such a way as to
pose
no threat to the eagles or other wildlife.
30 April: Some sunshine last evening
allowed the camera to work, and the eaglet had a meal
of fish. Being older now, it does not need to eat as often as it did as a small
chick.
24 April: While adult eagles may
occasionally take a drink while bathing, nestling eagles obtain
all of the water they need from their food. Meat is, of course, mostly water,
and provides sufficient hydration for them.
22 April: As the Oklahoma weather gets
warmer the eagles will need to cool down.
The way they accomplish this while on the nest is to pant. Birds don't have
sweat glands,
and instead cool themselves by evaporating moisture from their respiratory
systems. You may also
notice the eaglet taking advantage of the strip of shade provided by the nest
support structure.
At times the eagles may appear to be stressed by the heat, but unlike
Alaskan eagles, these are of
the southern race of Bald Eagles and they have evolved to live and
survive in nests open to the
full sun and heat of the southern U.S.
20 April: As in most young animals, the
eaglet spends a fair amount of time sleeping. The adults
are beginning to leave it alone a little more often as well. Unhatched eggs can
either break, be removed
or buried by the adults, or ignored, as this egg has been for some time.
15 April: This intimate view of the nest
life of birds is apparently generating concern
that the chick will simply fall out of the nest at any time. What you are
viewing here is simply one
example of what takes place in millions of bird nests every spring and summer.
Consider that many thousands of generations of eagles and other birds have been
produced, and that
this species is currently increasing in population. Predation is the leading
cause
of nest mortality in most birds, but this nearly impregnable tower is a safe
haven from predators.
In rare instances, severe weather or unusual accidents can result in a young
bird falling from a nest,
but it doesn't happen often. This eaglet is in a deep cup, and the adults
continue to build up the edge
of the nest cup. Eagles nesting at this location have raised 25 young in the
past 15 years,
so they are proven performers when it comes to raising young. Enjoy the view!
10 April: Despite the appearance of the
wide angle cam picture, the nest structure is in a stationary
body of water and not in a swift river. The chick is growing well, and the
rotten egg remains in the nest.
3 April: Regarding the abundance of food
(coots and fish) in the nest, once a chick hatches, the male's
hunting instinct goes into overdrive, and he begins bringing in as much food as
possible. It can be too
much food, especially when the chicks are young, or as in this case when there
is only one chick.
1 April: Camera viewers this morning
noticed an unhatched egg stuck to the female as she stood up and
flew off. The egg dropped off in flight. It had probably leaked and adhered to
her feathers. (No fooling!)
30 March: A very interesting sequence of
events takes place about 10:35 CDT. The male brings in an
American Coot and begins eating it. A large stick is in his way, and he spends a
moment rearranging
it several times. The female rises and the male begins feeding the chick, who
clambers over to
get closer to the coot. The female begins burying the unhatched eggs in the nest
lining. Shortly
thereafter, the female leaves and the male unburies the eggs and settles on
them, by all appearances
ineptly excluding the chick for a few minutes before allowing it to climb under
for brooding.
He seemed focused on the eggs, although they are almost certainly rotten at
this point.
26 March: First chick is doing well. Still waiting to see if the other 2 eggs
hatch.
Numerous fish and an American Coot have recently been delivered to the nest by
the male.
21 March: The first egg hatches!
25 February: Good news! The trash bag blew out of the nest.
24 February: Black trash bag blows into nest. (A good reminder not to litter!)
13 February: Third egg is laid!
9 February: Second egg is laid!
6 February: First egg is laid!
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Bald Eagle Nesting Information
Sexual maturity and breeding generally coincide with attaining adult plumage (head and tail becoming all white, beak yellow, and the eyes white), from 3 to 5 years of age.
Nest site selection and building can begin as early as late September in Oklahoma. Several nests may be constructed by a single pair in the same territory.
Nests are typically located in one of the taller trees in an area, just below the crown, about 3/4 the way up the tree, against the trunk or in a sturdy fork of the tree. Assorted interwoven sticks up to 1 inch or more in diameter make up the bulk of the nest. The nest is lined with soft grass, moss, or other fine materials. Nests can take months to complete, are added to each year, and in exceptional cases can end up weighing several tons.
One clutch of 1-3 eggs is laid per year. However, a replacement clutch may be laid in the event of a loss during laying or early incubation. Incubation begins sometime from December or January in Oklahoma and lasts for 33.5 days, while the hatching process can take up to 2 days. If more than one egg is present, the others hatch at intervals of 2-3 days. This results in eaglets of different sizes with the first hatched eaglet being the largest, a difference that is maintained until growth is completed before fledging. After fledging eagles may gain weight, but they do not grow very much larger dimensionally. Female Bald Eagles, as with many birds of prey, average larger in size than males; however, there can be an overlap between the sizes of the sexes. Size is almost the only visible difference between them. Eagles nesting in the northern part of their range also average larger in size than those from the southern parts of their range.
About a third, on average, of Oklahoma Bald Eagle nests fail, either during incubation or brooding, for mostly unknown reasons. Causes of nest failure could be due to food shortage, inclement weather, human disturbance, predators, and environmental contaminants.
Development of Bald Eagle Young
Week One: At hatching, the young are covered with a light gray down and have limited mobility. Their eyes, dark brown in color, are closed, but open after a few hours. The female parent does the majority of the brooding while the male parent provides most of the food for the family. Aggressive antagonistic behavior can appear shortly after hatching wherein the oldest, largest eaglet tries to dominate or even kill its sibling(s).
Week Two: The second down plumage, darker in color, begins to replace the first. At the end of this period thermoregulation is attained; that is, the eaglet can maintain its own body temperature under normal weather conditions without brooding from an adult.
Week Three: Black contour feathers on back, shoulder, breast and wings begin to emerge.
Week Four: Flight feather development underway.
Week Five: Male and female parents bring relatively equal amounts of food. Parents begin spending more time away from the young and often perch in nearby trees.
Week Six: Young are able to tear pieces of food off and feed themselves, and begin to stand and walk.
Week Seven: Maximum body growth nearing completion.
Weeks Eight - Twelve: Nestlings begin "branching". They flap their wings while perched on the nest and hop onto nearby branches, practicing and building up flight muscles, coordination, and landing skills. Most of Oklahoma's Bald Eagles fledge between 11 and 12 weeks after hatching. After the first flight the eaglets may return to the nest a few times to spend the night (roosting) or to get food brought there by the adults.
After fledging the young are still dependent on the adults to feed them for a period of up to a couple of months until they gain the experience and skills to find and catch their own food. Radio-telemetry studies of a few Bald Eagles reared in Oklahoma show that they migrate north during the hottest months of the summer to cooler climates such as the Great Lakes area or Canada.
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The initial flagship project of the Sutton Center was the reestablishment of breeding Bald Eagles in the southeastern U.S. How did we do it? To find out about these intensive and very successful restoration efforts, click the page link below.
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Learn more about Sutton Center education programs!
Visit the KJRH TV hawk cam in Tulsa.

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