Lunar Rock/Tralee Point Nest - 2013 season

[boonibarb]

Lunar Rock Nest is on the same stretch of northern shore that the webcam Nest is on.
It is just to the right of Tralee Point, along the bay there.
i am not sure if that Nest got used this year & if instead the pair used the Nest on Tralee Point.
There was definitely nesting action there this year.

To read about what happened in the 2012 season Click here

To read about what happened in the 2011 season Click here

To read about what happened in the 2010 season Click here

Here is winterwren*s map of the Hornby nests, so that you can see where it is.


Here is the second edition of my nest map.

This map sums up our observations of the nests of Hornby Island for the summer of 2011. The information was collected from direct observation by Booni and myself, and from conversations with the nests' neighbours.
Click on the map to see the larger size, and click again to explore details.



 

[boonibarb]

Spotted this youngster & their wings from a great distance away.
i just HAD to pull over & photograph them!
 
march 7 2013 11:49 - young Eagle blow-drying in the wind
 
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xc8cVm61pvg" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xc8cVm61pvg</a>
 

[mishikeenhquay]

booni....this video is just WONDERFUL!!!  That guy seems to have some pretty tattered feathers!  There also appears to be 'strings' down his backside around six seconds in.  Is that more feather damage?  I sure do hope he has a good moult and a successful year!
Miigwetch for taking the time to video this...and post this!!

[winterwren]

I checked this nest this afternoon, around 3 pm. I couldn't see any eagles at all, but after a while I heard some faint screeps from the nest. The afternoon was hot and it was probably nap time. But for sure there is at least one eaglet in this nest.

[boonibarb]

 
i agree that there is definitely at least one Eaglet at this Nest, as i have heard one too.
So when i got a wildlife rescue call from a friend who lives nearby, saying that she*d seen an Eaglet in the bush near this Nest, that he had hissed at her the day before, but hadn*t hissed at her tonight, & that she was thinking of tossing him some raw chicken, i ran out the door ready to capture another Eaglet with her.
First i called MARS & left a message on the answering machine.
We had already missed the last ferry off of Hornby, so i also left a message for Dan, asking him if he*d boat our capture over to Vancouver Island.
i picked up my friend & peppered her with questions.
She has a dog she was walking, & the dog had discovered the Eaglet.
i asked her to leave the dog behind.
She described him as having a black head, no wings, & lots of white fluffy feathers.
i was so focused  on Eaglet, that the warning bells weren*t quite going off in my head yet at her descriptions.
We parked near the Nest Tree, then went hiking way off sideways into the bush, to my surprise.
i couldn*t believe how far this Eaglet had made it from the Nest, only to end up in the Salmonberries & trees & Ferns & bush.
She had gloves & a towel, i had my rescue gloves, towel & eye protection.
My heart was pounding.
It was hot & my glasses were fogging up.
We finally reached the spot, it was a live Cedar or Cedars stump that had grown horizontal from the roots before shooting skywards, making a nice den of roots to hide in.
Darn, this is gonna be tough to get him out of there.
There was a familiar smell in the air of Bird poop, & there were little white fluffy feathers & poop shots all over the ground & the stump.
She could see movement inside the stump that i just wasn*t seeing.
But i could hear hissing.
Eaglets hiss?
We had to go through thick Ferns & blackberry brambles to get at the stump, to the tune of hissing the entire time.
i had to get down on hands & knees to see the feet.
They didn*t really look to me to be Eaglet feet, & where the thighs were i saw white fluffy down.
An Owl??
She suggested that she go to the other side of the stump to chase him towards me.
But he wasn*t moving, he just stood there hissing at us.
Turns out from the other side there was a way to look into the stump & see who this was.
So i took fotos.
The critter hissed the whole time, an unearthly sound that would terrify me, were it dark out.



Oh -ho!
This is looking familiar!
i remember posting somewhere on the forum fotos of a Turkey Vulture chick that had been discovered on the top floor of an old rotting house, a place Turkey Vultures choose for their Nest.
Do we have a Turkey Vulture chick here?
The white fluff with the dark band on the wing is ringing bells of memory for me.
Look how the tail still has pin feathers, feathers still in sheaths!
& look at all that lovely white fluffy down!

july 24 2013 18:59 - Turkey Vulture chick



Here you can see the black triangle that is the developing primary flight feathers!



i had to use my flash for these, which i really really really don*t like to do.
But i needed to get fotos to document this, to show MARS, so they could tell me what to do.
Had we found a Vulture*s nesting cavity?
Was this little fella fine?
He sure wasn*t coming out of there, & we never saw his head.
It was time to get out & go call MARS again.



There was a rush of relief & excitement, being all ready to capture, then not needing to at the present time.
i went home & called MARS & Maj answered!
She agreed that we had found a Vulture nesting cavity, & that all was as it should be.
Keep dogs & people away, the parents somehow are able to get in there & feed t hat little fella.
What a thrill!
wren & i have always wondered if/where Vultures nest on Hornby.
i felt very privileged to have witnessed this.
This little fella couldn*t have been very old, a week or two maybe?
Next i called Dan back.
He had left me a message, wondering what was going on.
He had been prepared to boat the capture in to help, thank you Dan!
i told him what had happened & he was interested to hear about this too.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/43214021@N08/9421535579/#

[Cawatcher]

  Wow booni this is really neat! We ave numerous Turkey Vultures but never have had the pleaseure of seeing a nesting area or a young one!!

[boonibarb]

 
i can*t find where i posted these fotos to the forum, so maybe i never did.
They were sent to me by a friend, who had been sent them by the person who took the fotos.
If you click here, you will be taken to my Turkey Vulture album of fotos on Flickr.
Under where it says 14 fotos, there is a rectangle with a little play arrow in it.
Click the arrow to see these fotos as a slide show, or you can click on them to view them individually & in original size.
These are the fotos i was recalling, when we finally spotted our *eaglet*.

i also forgot to say, there i was, all ready to capture an Eaglet, but when i spoke with Maj, she reminded me that this is now fledge season, & that it is better to watch & wait at this point if an Eaglet is down on the ground.
Even from the ground, they are able to climb trees using their feet & flapping their wings, as we once saw a video of the Brigantine Eaglet doing.
She said if there is food brought to the Nest, the Eaglet will make their way back up the Tree to get to it.
Something i never thought of!
Every wildlife call i get, i learn TONS more!

[OpieK]

Wow what a find, Booni, and I love the way you tell the story.  I have only seen adult turkey vultures - that little fluffy ball is much cuter!

[boonibarb]

 
Someone*s got mouths to feed!

july 18 2013 13:14 - male Robin with a mouthful





http://www.flickr.com/photos/43214021@N08/9635763437/#

[boonibarb]

 
Spotted this gorgeous Great Blue Heron from a bank overlooking the beach near the Tralee Point Nest.

august 15 2013 10:16 - Great Blue Heron



i can*t get over the size of the beaks on these Birds.
They have tucked their neck in a bit more than in the last foto.
Just love those long tasselly neck feathers.



Tucking up their foot, perhaps getting ready to relax for a bit.



http://www.flickr.com/photos/43214021@N08/10763394793/in/photostream/#

[boonibarb]

 
On this same day, i spotted a Belted Kingfisher right out front of where i was.
Unfortunately, they flew off down the beach a ways.
But i could still see them.
They had found a good fishing spot!
They were perched on this rock, then they*d dive in the water & come up with a little Fish!

august 15 2013 11:03 - Belted Kingfisher



Here they are with a little Fish in their beak!



Here they are, mid-sploosh, diving for a Fish.
You can*t even see them, only their sploosh.



Here they are, on a reconnaissance flyover.
Such beautiful colouring on these Birds.



Here they are, mid-sploosh again.
This time you can see their wings & tail.



http://www.flickr.com/photos/43214021@N08/10763695686/in/photostream/#

[boonibarb]

 
In this video, the Kingfisher lives up to his name & catches & eats three Fish!
Look how fast it happens.

august 15 2013 1106 - Belted Kingfisher fishing

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qN7GvYwW9c" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qN7GvYwW9c</a>

[Cawatcher]

My gosh lucky sequence of events!! they are so skittish usually fly away at slightest movement